History Main / AllJewsAreAshkenazi

If there is a Jew in any mainstream media ([[YouHaveToHaveJews and the odds are better than you might think), he or she will most likely be portrayed as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews Ashkenazi]]. This means that the Jew will be white and of (Central or Eastern) European descent, probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]].

If there is a Jew in any mainstream media (and the odds are better than you might think, because YouHaveToHaveJews), he or she will most likely be portrayed as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews Ashkenazi]]. This means that the Jew will be white and of (Central or Eastern) European descent, probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]].

Fun fact: In Israel, Ashkenazim are (were?) also nicknamed "vus-vus", supposedly because they always ask "Vus? Vus?" (What? What?)

* Used extensively in Mel Brooks's ''HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'' [[RuleOfFunny for comedy]]. Even the Spanish Sephardic Jews in the Inquisition song absurdly speak in Yiddish accents with smatterings of Yiddish such as "Oy gevalt!" But none of the film even pretends to try to be taken seriously.

* Given that about 80% of Jews are Ashkenazi this is something of a JustifiedTrope.

* This trope is used against the Israeli claims on the Levant. Because if those Jews are Ashkenazi... Is it really their land?
** But using this trope reveals either antisemitism or ignorance on the part of the user: if you go either by Israeli or Jewish law, the land belongs to all Jews (whether they settle there or not) - and Ashkenazim are Jews.
** However, only about half the Jews in Israel are Ashkenazi. And the Sephardi have a longer history in Israel than the Ashkenazim. The Diaspora Rome enforced on the Jews was not complete and some never left and ever since, Jews slowly drifted back.
** A major influx occurred in the 1490s, when Ferdinand and Isabella kicked the Sephardi Jews out of Spain. The Ottoman Sultan, Beyazid II, invited them to settle in the Ottoman Empire, which included what is now Israel. However, since Zionism was mainly an Ashkenazi phenomenon and Israel is often seen through the prism of the mainly Ashkenazi Holocaust, the Sephardi history in that region is often overlooked.
*** In case anyone's wondering what that history was, it was, for the most part, not half bad. Those who elected to go to Europe found themselves holding the short end of the stick, but most (who went instead to the Ottoman Empire) found a fair (if in some-ways second-class) existence...until the Ashkenazim got it into their heads to resettle ''Eretz Yisrael'', at which point the Arabs (and to a lesser extent Turks and Iranians) started to look askance at their Sephardi neighbors (who for the most part were rather bemused by the Zionist project). After the [[ArabIsraeliConflict Arab defeat]] in the War of 1948, several Arab governments expelled their countries' Jews (mostly out of a lack of imagination--the governments in question were under intense pressure to do ''something'' in the wake of their defeat or else lose their heads) and Jews elsewhere in the Arab world elected to leave, thinking (rightly or wrongly) that the writing was on the wall.
*** This is debatable. Conditions varied widely through out the Muslim countries. It wasn't that bad in Morocco but the Jews in Yemen were treated horribly. Even at its best, Jews were still second class citizens and there was no serious thought or even minor thought about treating them equally.
** This trope is one reason why Helen Thomas' infamous comments regarding where the Jews should go were so offensive to many Jews: she suggested that Jews should leave Israel and go back "home," which she defined as "Germany and Poland," i.e. where the Ashkenazim were from.
*** It helps to remember (at times like these) that Helen Thomas is Lebanese--a country with a rather bitter history when it comes to Israel. As far as many Arabs are concerned, the Jews who started Israel are the Ashkenazim (mostly true), while Sephardim, Mizrahim, etc., mostly came from Arab countries after the state was established (the result of expulsions that are, at minimum, kind of embarrassing in retrospect). From this point of view, the Sephardim are Arabs by blood and/or traditional culture and therefore at least ''kind of'' welcome in Palestine, but the Ashkenazim are colonizing Europeans who should have been given a piece of the Rhineland or Pomerania if Europe ''really'' wanted to repent for the sin of the Holocaust.
*** Nothing I've seen suggests that much distinction is given between different Jewish groups. Even if distinction was given, it is assuming that non-Ashkenazi Jews have to associate more with Arabs than other Jews, which is a matter of imposing identity.

Until about 1850, the considerable majority of Jews living in English-speaking countries were Sephardim, which can make works from this period with Jewish characters a bit confusing (even leaving aside the [[ValuesDissonance near-constant antisemitism]]). Many prominent American Jews of the 19th and 20th centuries were in fact Sephardi; for instance, BenjaminDisraeli was descended from Sephardis who spent a few generations in Italy. In America, the first Jewish U.S. Senator, Judah P. Benjamin, was a Sephardi born in the West Indies who immigrated to Louisiana (he was [[{{Irony}} an ardent defender of slavery]] and was a member of the Confederate Cabinet during the AmericanCivilWar). Probably the most notable American Sephardi is Benjamin Cardozo, the second Jewish justice on the [[AmericanCourts United States Supreme Court]] and previously a groundbreaking justice on the New York Court of Appeals.

*** It helps to remember (at times like these) that Helen Thomas is Lebanese--a country with a rather bitter history when it comes to Israel. As far as many Arabs are concerned, the Jews who started Israel are the Ashkenazis (mostly true), while Sephardis, Mizrahis, etc., mostly came from Arab countries after the state was established (the result of expulsions that are, at minimum, kind of embarrassing in retrospect). From this point of view, the Sephardis are Arabs by blood and/or traditional culture and therefore at least ''kind of'' welcome in Palestine, but the Ashkenazis are colonizing Europeans who should have been given a piece of the Rhineland or Pomerania if Europe ''really'' wanted to repent for the sin of the Holocaust.

Hank Azaria, despite being of Sephardic descent, has fallen victim to this trope. Understandable, if not justified, in media set [[{{Americanitis}} in America]] by the fact that the large majority of American Jews are Ashkenazi (over 80%). Prior to the mass murder of European Jews by Nazis and their friends during the Second World War, most Jews world-wide were in fact Ashkenazi. Though it should be noted that in Israel mixed marriages are common and this is leading to a cultural blending.

* In {{Agora}}, Jews are mostly Caucasian looking, though some do have Mizhrahim and Sephardim features.
* Averted in the obscure Tom Hanks film ''Every Time We Say Goodbye'', filmed in 1986. Hanks plays an American in the Royal Air Force who falls in love with a Sephardic girl in Jerusalem played by Cristina Marsillach. Notable for being one of only five films listed in the Internet Movie Database filmed even partially in Ladino.

* Averted in [[SixteenThirtyTwo 1632]], in which the Jews rescued by the UMWA shortly after arrival are Sephardic Jews. One of the more important side-stories covers this in much detail. Interesting points are brought up. Most notably the Roths (20th century reform Ashkenazi) are given the honorifics "Don" and "Donna" by the Jews of Prague as if they were Sephardic (comes with being rich, faceted gems are a wonderful thing).

* Rachel Berry of {{Glee}} fits this, because in order to figure out whether or not [[spoiler: Puck was Quinn's baby daddy]] she told Quinn that her cousin was worried about her baby having Tay-Sachs, and tells Quinn that [[DidNotDoTheResearch she only have to worry about the disease if the father of her baby is Jewish.]]

* Mort Goldman from FamilyGuy.

<<|ReligionTropes|>>

*** It helps to remember (at times like these) that Helen Thomas is Lebanese--a country with a rather bitter history when it comes to Israel. As far as many Arabs are concerned, the Jews who started Israel are the Ashkenazis (mostly true), while Sephardis, Mizrahis, etc., mostly came from Arab countries after the state was established (the result of expulsions that are, at minimum, kind of embarrassing in retrospect). From this point of view, the Sephardis are Arabs by blood and therefore at least ''kind of'' welcome in Palestine, but the Ashkenazis are colonizing Europeans who should have been given a piece of the Rhineland or Pomerania if Europe ''really'' wanted to repent for the sin of the Holocaust.

*** It helps to remember (at times like these) that Helen Thomas is Lebanese--a country with a rather bitter history when it comes to Israel. As far as many Arabs are concerned, the Jews who started Israel are the Ashkenazis (mostly true), while Sephardis, Mizrahis, etc., mostly came from Arab countries after the state was established (the result of expulsions that are, at minimum, kind of embarrassing in retrospect). From this point of view, the Sephardis are Arabs by blood and therefore welcome in Palestine, but the Ashkenazis are colonizing Europeans who should have been given a piece of the Rhineland or Pomerania if Europe ''really'' wanted to repent for the sin of the Holocaust.

*** It helps to remember (at times like these) that Helen Thomas is Lebanese--a country with a rather bitter history when it comes to Israel. As far as many Arabs are concerned, the Jews who started Israel are the Ashkenazis (mostly true), while Sephardis came from Arab countries after the state was established (the result of expulsions that are, at minimum, kind of embarrassing in retrospect). From this point of view, the Sephardis are Arabs by blood and therefore welcome in Palestine, but the Ashkenazis are colonizing Europeans who should have been given a piece of the Rhineland or Pomerania if Europe ''really'' wanted to repent for the sin of the Holocaust.

*** It helps to remember (at times like these) that Helen Thomas is Lebanese--a country with a rather bitter history when it comes to Israel. As far as the Arabs are concerned, the Jews who started Israel are the Ashkenazis (mostly true), while Sephardis came from Arab countries after the state was established (the result of expulsions that are, at minimum, kind of embarrassing in retrospect). From this point of view, the Sephardis are Arabs by blood and therefore welcome in Palestine, but the Ashkenazis are colonizing Europeans who should have been given a piece of the Rhineland or Pomerania if Europe ''really'' wanted to repent for the sin of the Holocaust.

** This trope is one reason why Helen Thomas' infamous comments regarding where the Jews should go were so offensive to many Jews: she suggested that Jews should leave Israel and go back "home," which she defined as "Germany and Poland," ie where the Ashkenazim were from.

Until about 1850, the considerable majority of Jews living in English-speaking countries were Sephardim, which can make works from this period with Jewish characters a bit confusing (even leaving aside the [[ValuesDissonance near-constant antisemitism]]). Many prominent American Jews of the 19th and 20th centuries were in fact Sephardi; for instance, BenjaminDisraeli was descended from Sephardis who spent a few generations in Italy. In America, the first Jewish U.S. Senator, Judah P. Benjamin, was a Sephardi born in the West Indies who immigrated to Louisiana (he was [[{{Irony}} an ardent defender of slavery]] and was a member of the Confederate Cabinet during the AmericanCivilWar). The most recent and probably the most notable American Sephardi is Benjamin Cardozo, the second Jewish justice on the [[AmericanCourts United States Supreme Court]] and previously a groundbreaking justice on the New York Court of Appeals.

Hank Azaria, despite being of Sephardic descent, has fallen victim to this trope. Understandable, if not justified, in media set [[AmericanItis in America]] by the fact that the large majority of American Jews are Ashkenazi (over 80%). Prior to the mass murder of European Jews by Nazis and their friends during the Second World War, most Jews world-wide were in fact Ashkenazi. Though it should be noted that in Israel mixed marriages are common and this is leading to a cultural blending.

Until about 1850, the considerable majority of Jews living in English-speaking countries were Sephardim, which can make works from this period with Jewish characters a bit confusing (even leaving aside the [[ValuesDissonance near-constant antisemitism]]). Many prominent American Jews of the 19th and 20th centuries were in fact Sephardi; the most recent and probably the most notable is Benjamin Cardozo, the second Jewish justice on the [[AmericanCourts United States Supreme Court]] and previously a groundbreaking justice on the New York Court of Appeals.

* This trope is used against the Israeli claims on the Occupied Territories. Because if those Jews are Ashkenazi... Is it really their land?

* On ''PhineasAndFerb'' with Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. Based on the surname, her father (never seen) is probably an Ashkenazi Jew, but her mother is Hispanic. She may be Jewish too, since her dialogue is a hodgepodge of English, Spanish and Yiddish.

* Absurd ''Asterix'' example - Ashkenazi Jews in Jerusalem ''in 50 B.C.''

* Absurd [[Asterix Asterix]] example - Ashkenazi Jews in Jerusalem ''in 50 B.C.''

* Absurd ''[[Asterix Asterix]]'' example - Ashkenazi Jews in Jerusalem ''in 50 B.C.''

* Absurd ''Asterix'' example - Ashkenazi Jews in Jerusalem in 50 B.C.

In real life, seventy to eighty percent of the world's Jewish population are Ashkenazim. However, there are many other Jewish cultures, including the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardi_Jews Sephardim]] (Iberian), the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrahi_Jews Mizrahim]] (Middle-Eastern), the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemenite_Jews Temanim]] (those from Yemen in particular), the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaifeng_Jews Kaifeng Jews]] (Chinese), and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falasha Habashim]] (Ethiopian). Indeed, there are Jews from almost every country and culture, with their own distinct names and customs.

* two words. Mort Goldman

* Ziva David in ''{{NCIS}}'' isn't Ashkenazi. [[FakeNationality She's not even played by a real Jew]]. Unclear as to whether Rudolf Martin is, either, who plays [[BigBad Ari.]]
** Actually... a tan brunette with dark oval eyes can pull off acting just about any nationality whatsoever, except for pure-blooded black.
***Only a partial truth. A racial group is not a nationality, and black people do not all have the same features. In fact, it is quite possible that a tan brunette could be fully African.
****Stop with the political correctness. Whether or not someone with Cote De Pablo's features could technically be full-blooded African in real life, she could never pull off ACTING as one. Audiences would never buy it. You knew exactly what the above editor meant and are just being contrary.

***Only a partial truth. A racial group is not a nationality, and black people do not all have the same features. In fact, it is quite possible that a tan brunette could be fully African.