Shamis, halebis and shajatos: Labels and the dynamics of Syrian Jewishness in Mexico City

Jews in Mexico City have long organized themselves into ethnic sub-groups. Various labels circulate to refer to their members, including halebi (Aleppan), shami (Damascene), idish (Ashkenazi), and turco (Sephardi). Given recent demographic and religious changes, what is the contemporary role and relevance of these ethnic distinctions in Mexican Jewish identities? I explore this question through a focus on labeling practices, with special attention to terms applied to Jews of Syrian ancestry. I first consider the influence of ultra-Orthodox movements on these labels: While always important, notions of religiosity have come to trump other indexical values in distinguishing the social types they denote. I then discuss shajato, a derisive slur for most, but occasionally used to express pride in being shami or halebi. I argue that this more recent, ameliorated usage is made possible in part by shifts in relations between Syrian and Ashkenazi sectors. By analyzing metasemantic talk about these labels, as well their use in interaction, we see the fundamental interrelationships between social and semantic change in this immigrant-descendent community in Mexico.