All of the rabbis come from the close-knit and wealthy Sephardic Jewish communities of southern New Jersey and Brooklyn and the arrests have put the spotlight on a usually quiet community.

VOA: standard.2009.07.24

One of the rabbis arrested, Saul Kassin,is considered the leading cleric of the U.S.Sephardic community, comprised of families that emigrated mostly from the Middle East, Syria in particular, following the formation of the state of Israel in 1948.

VOA: standard.2009.07.24

In 1948, with the birth of the state of Israel, Beirut's Sephardic Jews found the political climate rougher.

ECONOMIST: Banking

It's not uncommon, though, for Sephardic Jews to feel the pull of Spain.

BBC: Sephardic Jews invited back to Spain after 500 years

He was a Sephardic Jew, a member of the tribe that had been expelled from Spain in the 15th century.

ECONOMIST: Banking