(apologies in advance if this is a weird or offensive question, I'm just curious about the history)
Is judaica the same across Jewish communities of all global regions? Like do Asian, African, and European Jewish people have different types and styles of judaica, or is it generally all the same? I figured being dispersed across such varied areas would cause some divergences in how different cultural artifacts would look, but my cursory google searches have been unhelpful, both in finding judaica itself and in even getting any information on non-European Jewish communities.
I know this is probably a really ignorant question, but I like learning about different cultures and the history and evolutions of their artifacts.
There absolutely are different styles of Judaica!
Jews have been dispersed around the world, and thus our art has taken on many forms.
I will say though that a lot of Jews don't identify with just "Asian", "African", or "European". We are Jews. Our identity is Jewish. We have different labels that reflect where our ancestors found themselves in the diaspora at different points in history, but the three labels "Asian", "African", or "European" are far too simplistic. Ashkenazi, Italki, and Sephardi Jews have ties to Europe; Sephardi and Mizrachi and Ethiopian Jews have ties to Africa; Sephardi, Mizrachi, Bukharan, Cochin, and Kaifeng Jews have ties to Asia; all while being widely different and diverse subgroups and traditions. (There are far more different Minhagim than the ones I mentioned, by the way, I just mentioned a few as examples.)
Anyway, as for our Judaica.....
Of course it varies! We have had thousands of years to develop different art styles and techniques, although you will find certain motifs that arise often throughout most Judaica styles, such as Stars of David, lions, crowns, pomegranates and all of the rest of the Seven Species of Israel, eyes, hands, and fish.
Since it's almost Chanukah, I'm going to use different Chanukiyot as examples of the variations. I'm by no means an art historian, these are my notes based on what I've learned and read, and from observations.
Here is a classic Eastern European Chanukiyah. Here you can see two lions holding up a depiction of the seven-branched Temple Menorah, with a crown atop. It's made of bronze. This style of Chanukiyah was very popular, and had many variations. Sometimes the Temple Menorah was replaced with other motifs, such as the Ten Commandments, a Star of David, or some other symbol.
Here is a Moroccan Chanukiyah. You can see here that it's meant to be hanged on a platform or wall. It looks like it's made of copper. Already you can see the difference between this one and the previous one. You can see it has the floral and keyhole repeating patterns that are familiar in Moroccan art, and in fact this Chanukiyah here is intended to be lit with oil wicks, not candles, like the previous one.
This Chanukiyah isn't an antique, it's a modern design, as you can see by its oblong shape and reversable nature (it's supposed to be flipped over to serve as Shabbat candlesticks, too) however, it exemplifies the beautiful Yemenite Jewish silverwork. Silversmithing was historically a Jewish profession in Yemen, as Muslims were forbidden from silversmithing. Yemenite Jews acquired a reputation for their incredible silverwork. You can see how intricate the details are, the swirling, repeating patterns and leaves.
Here is an Italian Chanukiyah, likely from the 18th century. You can see the twin lions here again, only this time they're holding a flame. This Chanukiyah is also made for oil wicks, not candles. (Oil wicks are the more traditional and older way to light the Chanukah lights.) On it is enscribed in Hebrew, "Like the flame of Mitzvah and the Torah of light". There's also different designs than on the Eastern European Chanukiyah, such as the leaves and filigree, and the domed "roof".
And finally, here is an elaborate silver Ukranian Chanukiyah from the 19th century. This was once in the Great Suburban Synagogue in Lviv, and survived Nazi occupation. This is obviously a far more elaborate design than an average household would have, as this was in display in a syngogue and was intended to be a prominent peace of art. You can see again, more lions holding up the base of the lamp, and flowers and leaves and filigree, and a bird perched on top. The original Temple Menorah was described as having bulbs and flowers, and thus many Chanukiyah designs embody this by including such motifs in their designs.
These were only a few examples I was able to hobble together, and honestly you're right, anon, there aren't many accessible resources outlining the history and variation of Judaica.
Here's some further reading about Jewish art if you're interested:
Jewish Art: A Brief History
Jewish Art in the Ancient World
Goldsmiths and Silversmiths
Jewish Art in Medieval and Modern Times
And this isn't educational, but it's a really interesting article:
Jewelry and Jewish Feminism
