Ashkenazic Jews

In Israel the term Ashkenazi is now used in ways that have nothing to do with its original meaning. Originally, European Jews, or Ashkenazim, are those who descended from the medieval Jewish communities of Germany (Ashkenaz in medieval Hebrew), later settled all over Europe and developed a distinct culture influenced by interaction with surrounding peoples. In Israel the word Ashkenazi is often applied to all Jews of European background.

According to the Israeli researchers (at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) and to Jerusalem Post, today Ashkenazim make up approximately 80% of Jews worldwide, but probably less than half of Israeli Jews.

Ashkenazi Jewish Orientation have a noted history of achievement in western societies. They have won a large share of major academic prizes such as the Nobel awards and the Fields Medal in mathematics. It is enough to mention such names as Alberst Einstein, Zigmund Freud, Anton Rubinstein, and George Gershwin to understand the outstanding performance of European Jews.

For Israel, the significance of Ashkenazim cannot be overestimated. The cultural growth of European Jews in the 19th century led to the development of Zionism, the movement that first declared the necessity of re-establishment of the State of Israel. After the Holocaust, the idea of a common history and fate gained strength among Jews. It was mostly European jews who founded the State of Israel. They have played a prominent role in the economy, media, and politics of Israel since its founding.

Hasidim, one of the Orthodox Jewish movement, are of European origin and they constitute the biggest and strongest group of Jewish population in Jerusalem.