65K views · 396 reactions | Romania had one of the largest Ashkenazi Jewish populations in pre-war Europe. But the first Jewish community in Romania were actually Sephardic Jews, who came via the Ottoman empire in the 16th century. It is a history of 500 years. WATCH: | World Jewish Congress | Facebook

What makes a surname Sephardic? Despite popular belief, it doesn’t have to do with fruit trees! For Hispanic Heritage Month, Michael, a JewishGen genealogist at the Museum’s Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Research Center, explains the true history behind Sephardic surnames. Surnames were used in the Iberian peninsula starting in the 10th Century CE, and reached popular usage by the 15th century. Of course, during the time of the Inquisition & Expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal, n