Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews (/ˌɑːʃkəˈnɑːzi, ˌæʃ-/ A(H)SH-kə-NAH-zee; Hebrew: יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, romanized: Yehudei Ashkenaz, lit. 'Jews of Germania'; Yiddish: אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, romanized: Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim, constitute a Jewish diaspora population that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally spoke Yiddish and largely migrated towards northern and eastern Europe during the late Middle Ages due to persecution. Hebrew was primarily used as a literary and sacred language until its 20th-century revival as a common language in Israel.
יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז (Yehudei Ashkenaz) אשכנזישע יידן (Ashkenazishe Yidn) | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 10–11.2 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States | 5–6 million |
| Israel | 2.8 million |
| Russia | 194,000–500,000; according to the FJCR, up to 1 million of Jewish descent |
| Argentina | 300,000 |
| United Kingdom | 260,000 |
| Canada | 240,000 |
| France | 200,000 |
| Germany | 200,000 |
| Ukraine | 150,000 |
| Australia | 120,000 |
| South Africa | 80,000 |
| Belarus | 80,000 |
| Brazil | 80,000 |
| Hungary | 75,000 |
| Chile | 70,000 |
| Belgium | 30,000 |
| Netherlands | 30,000 |
| Moldova | 30,000 |
| Italy | 28,000 |
| Poland | 25,000 |
| Mexico | 18,500 |
| Sweden | 18,000 |
| Latvia | 10,000 |
| Romania | 10,000 |
| Austria | 9,000 |
| Turkey | 7,000 |
| New Zealand | 5,000 |
| Colombia | 4,900 |
| Azerbaijan | 4,300 |
| Lithuania | 4,000 |
| Czech Republic | 3,000 |
| Slovakia | 3,000 |
| Ireland | 2,500 |
| Estonia | 1,000 |
| Languages | |
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| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, other Jewish ethnic divisions and Samaritans; various Middle Eastern and European ethnic groups | |
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Ashkenazim adapted their traditions to Europe and underwent a transformation in their interpretation of Judaism. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, Jews who remained in or returned to historical German lands experienced a cultural reorientation. Under the influence of the Haskalah and the struggle for emancipation, as well as the intellectual and cultural ferment in urban centres, some gradually abandoned Yiddish in favor of German and developed new forms of Jewish religious life and cultural identity.
Throughout the centuries, Ashkenazim made significant contributions to Europe's philosophy, scholarship, literature, art, music, and science.
As a proportion of the world Jewish population, Ashkenazim were estimated to be 3% in the 11th century, rising to 92% in 1930 near the population's peak. The Ashkenazi population was significantly diminished by the Holocaust carried out by Nazi Germany during World War II which killed some six million Jews, affecting almost every European Jewish family. In 1933, prior to World War II, the estimated worldwide Jewish population was 15.3 million. Israeli demographer and statistician Sergio D. Pergola implied that Ashkenazim comprised 65–70% of Jews worldwide in 2000, while other estimates suggest more than 75%. As of 2013, the population was estimated to be between 10 million and 11.2 million.
Genetic studies indicate that Ashkenazim have both Levantine and European (mainly southern European) ancestry. These studies draw diverging conclusions about the degree and sources of European admixture, with some focusing on the European genetic origin in Ashkenazi maternal lineages, contrasting with the predominantly Middle Eastern genetic origin in paternal lineages.