A Mizrahi Jew (from the Hebrew Mizraḥ, meaning “East”) is a Jewish person whose ancestry comes from the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Central Asia—regions where Jewish communities lived for over two thousand years, long before the modern migrations from Europe.

Unlike Sephardic Jews (whose origins are in Spain and Portugal), Mizrahi Jews trace their roots to countries such as:

Iraq (home of the Babylonian Talmud, one of Judaism’s foundational texts)
Iran (Persia)
Yemen
Syria and Lebanon
Egypt
Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya
Kurdistan, Afghanistan, and other parts of the Islamic world

Key characteristics of Mizrahi Jews:

Traditions & Law: They have their own unique liturgical customs, though many overlap with Sephardic practice since both follow similar interpretations of Jewish law.
Languages: Historically spoke local languages (Arabic, Persian, Kurdish, etc.), often with a Judeo- dialect (like Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian, or Judeo-Tat).
Culture: Distinct music, food, and communal traditions shaped by centuries in Islamic lands.
History: Many Mizrahi Jews left their home countries in the mid-20th century (often after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948) due to rising persecution, with most resettling in Israel, France, or the U.S.

Relationship to Sephardic Jews

The terms Sephardic and Mizrahi sometimes get blended:
In Israel and in many synagogues, Mizrahi Jews often pray according to Sephardic liturgy.

But historically, they are separate groups: Sephardim from Iberia, Mizrahim from the Middle East and North Africa.