Total population | |
---|---|
(10–11.2 million) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States | 5–6 million |
Israel | 2.8 million |
Russia | 194,000–500,000 |
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 |
Hungary | 75,000 |
Chile | 70,000 |
Belgium | 30,000 |
Brazil | 30,000 |
Netherlands | 30,000 |
Moldova | 30,000 |
Poland | 25,000 |
Mexico | 18,500 |
Sweden | 18,000 |
Latvia | 10,000 |
Romania | 10,000 |
Austria | 9,000 |
New Zealand | 5,000 |
Azerbaijan | 4,300 |
Lithuania | 4,000 |
Czech Republic | 3,000 |
Slovakia | 3,000 |
Estonia | 1,000 |
Languages | |
Yiddish Modern: Local languages, primarily:English, Hebrew, Russian |
|
Religion | |
Judaism, some secular, irreligious | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Samaritans,Kurds, other Levantines (Druze, Assyrians,Arabs), Mediterranean groups |
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or simply Ashkenazim (Hebrew: אַשְׁכְּנַזִּים, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: [ˌaʃkəˈnazim], singular: [ˌaʃkəˈnazi], Modern Hebrew: [aʃkenaˈzim, aʃkenaˈzi]; also יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז Y'hudey Ashkenaz), are a Jewish diaspora population who coalesced as a distinct community in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium. The traditional diaspora language of Ashkenazi Jews is Yiddish (which incorporates several dialects), with Hebrew used only as a sacred language until relatively recently. Throughout their time in Europe, Ashkenazim have made many important contributions to philosophy, scholarship, literature, art, music, and science.
Ashkenazim originate from the Jews who settled along the Rhine River, in Western Germany and Northern France. There they became a distinct diaspora community with a unique way of life that adapted traditions from Babylon, The Land of Israel, and the Western Mediterranean to their new environment. The Ashkenazi religious rite developed in cities such as Mainz, Worms, and Troyes. The eminent French Rishon Rabbi Shlomo Itzhaki (Rashi) would have a significant impact on the Jewish religion.