History Main / AllJewsAreAshkenazi

* In ''Series/Magic City'', most of the main characters are Jews and all of them are Ashkenazi.

* In Primo Levi's ''Literature/TheTruce'' the author is an Italian Holocaust survivor who travels through Eastern Europe along with other Italian Jews to get back to Italy. They met some Jewish women from the Soviet Union who don't believe they're also Jewish because they can't speak [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Yiddish]]. Italian Jews are neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardic, although in the centuries there as been a sizable migration from both communities because Italy was relatively safer than anti-Semitic Eastern Europe and the ultra-Catholic Spain.

* Used extensively in Creator/MelBrooks's ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'' [[RuleOfFunny for comedy]]. Even the Spanish Sephardic Jews in the Inquisition song wear Hasidic outfits (also anachronistic) 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. Mel Brooks plays Torquemada, ironically appropriate since many historians belive [[GeniusBonus he was of Jewish descent]].

In historical works, this can sometimes be a case of TranslationConvention.[[note]] For example, the Jewish innkeeper in ''Series/IClaudius'' presumably spoke Latin with a recognizably Jewish accent of that era (based on his native Aramaic or Eastern-Mediterranean-Greek); arguably, having the character speak with a cliche Yiddish accent was a simple way to depict this, such as giving the working-class Roman soldiers Cockney accents.[[/note]]

* Lampshaded (and also subverted) in ''ComicBook/TheNameOfTheGame'' by Creator/WillEisner. In the opening narrative, Eisner goes into detail on the different waves of Jews coming to America. Thus, the ''Sephardic'' arrived first, making up a Jewish elite. Then, from 1830 and onwards, the Ashkenazi Jews started their immigration, followed by the eastern European Jews (also Ashkenazi).

[[AC:Videogames]]

* This trope was inverted in Western Europe prior to the 18th century or so, where most Jews were Sephardi. Still partly the case in {{UsefulNotes/France}}.

* Ironically, Jews with the last name Ashkenazi are usually ''not'' Ashkenazi (actor Creator/LiorAshkenazi is Sephardi with his parents originating from Turkey, for instance). Though the name probably originated from someone in their distant family history who was Ashkenazi, generations later, they're more likely to have predominantly Sephardi ancestry from southern Europe or the Ottoman Empire.

In RealLife, while 65-70 percent of the world's Jewish population are in fact Ashkenazim, there are many other Jewish ethnicities, including the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardi_Jews Sephardim]] (Iberian), the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrahi_Jews Mizrahim]] (Middle-Eastern; there may, depending on who's counting, be more Mizrahim in Israel than Ashkenazim), 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), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bene_Israel Bene Israelites]] (UsefulNotes/{{India}}), and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Israel Habashim]] (Ethiopian). Indeed, there are Jews from almost every country and culture, with their own distinct names and customs. And this is not even counting converts, who can (and do) come from every cultural background imaginable.

* In ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', Rosencrantz tells a joke in which an early Christian who hasn't heard about St Paul's conversion questions why "Saul of Tarsus" is in Christian Heaven, and gets the reply "[[WordSchmord Tarsus, schmarsus]], I'm Paul, already!"

This means that the Jew will be apparently of Central or Eastern European descent, will probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]]. The names of Jews will almost always end with -berg, -man, or -stein (less common are those ending with -witz/vitz/wicz, -eiser, -baum, -feld, -bach or -sky/ski). These "Jewish names" are actually Germanic or Polish names adopted by Ashkenazi Jews. The trope is so pervasive that viewers from outside Germany, Poland or Russia tend to think ''only'' Jews have these names.

The trope has its origins in America, where Jewish culture, especially in New York and Los Angeles, is dominated by Ashkenazi tradition. This was not always so, however. In 1850, the considerable majority of Jews living in Western countries were Sephardim, which can make works from this period with Jewish characters a bit confusing (even leaving aside the [[ValuesDissonance near-constant antisemitism]]). It was only in the [[TheGildedAge late 19th and early 20th century]] that a great number of Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to the United States (and to a lesser extent, Western Europe) to flee from persecution in eastern Europe. The trope is also used to [[ViewersAreMorons avoid leaving viewers wondering]] why a given character behaves like a Jew but looks like an Arab.

The trope has its origins in America, where Jewish culture, especially in New York and Los Angeles, is dominated by Ashkenazi tradition. This was not always so, however. In 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]]). It was only in the [[TheGildedAge late 19th and early 20th century]] that a great number of Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to the United States (and to a lesser extent, Western Europe) to flee from persecution in eastern Europe. The trope is also used to [[ViewersAreMorons avoid leaving viewers wondering]] why a given character behaves like a Jew but looks like an Arab.

In historical works, this can sometimes be a case of TranslationConvention.[[note]] For example, the Jewish innkeeper in ''Series/IClaudius'' presumably spoke Latin with a recognizably Jewish accent of that era (based on his native Aramaic or Eastern-Mediterranean-Greek); arguably, having the character speak with a cliche Yiddish accent was a simple way to depict this, like giving the low-class Roman soldiers Cockney accents.[[/note]]

In RealLife, while seventy to eighty percent of the world's Jewish population are in fact Ashkenazim, there are many other Jewish ethnicities, including the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardi_Jews Sephardim]] (Iberian), the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrahi_Jews Mizrahim]] (Middle-Eastern; there may, depending on who's counting, be more Mizrahim in Israel than Ashkenazim), 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), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bene_Israel Bene Israelites]] (UsefulNotes/{{India}}), and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Israel Habashim]] (Ethiopian). Indeed, there are Jews from almost every country and culture, with their own distinct names and customs. And this is not even counting converts, who can (and do) come from every cultural background imaginable.

* In ''Film/{{Agora}}'', Jews are mostly European looking, though some do have Mizhrahim and Sephardim features.

This means that the Jew will be apparently of Central or Eastern European descent, will probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]]. The names of Jews will almost always end with -berg, -man, or -stein (less common are those ending with -witz/vitz/wicz, -eiser, -baum, -feld, -bach or -sky/ski). These "Jewish names" are actually Germanic names adopted by Ashkenazi Jews. The trope is so pervasive that viewers from outside Germany, Poland or Russia tend to think ''only'' Jews have these names.

** The story takes place within the Sephardic community of Algiers in the 1920s, where Ashkenazi Jews are considered weird and foreign. The second volume introduces a singular Ashkenazi Jew, a Russian painter who smuggled himself into Africa in a crate full of prayer books (who is viewed as an oddball by pretty much everyone else). The second volume also involves a quest to track down a hidden city of Beta Israel/Ethiopian Jews.
** The trope is played straight in-universe by the character of El Rebibo, a Sephardic Jewish entertainer in Paris who has to portray a stereotypical Arab because he can't manage the Polish accent needed to portray a stereotypical Jew.
* Lampshaded (and also subverted) in ''ComicBook/TheNameOfTheGame'' by Creator/WillEisner. In the opening narrative, Eisner goes into detail on the different waves of jews coming to America. Thus, the ''Sephardic'' arrived first, making up a Jewish elite. Then, from 1830 an onwards, the Ashkenazi Jews started their immigration, followed by the eastern European Jews (also Ashkenazi).

This means that the Jew will be apparently of Central or Eastern European descent, will probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]]. The names of Jews will almost always end with -berg, -man, or -stein (less common are those ending with -witz/wicz/vitz, -eiser, -baum, or -sky/ski). These "Jewish names" are actually Germanic names adopted by Ashkenazi Jews. The trope is so pervasive that viewers from outside Germany, Poland or Russia tend to think ''only'' Jews have these names.

In real life, while seventy to eighty percent of the world's Jewish population are in fact Ashkenazim, there are many other Jewish ethnicities, including the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardi_Jews Sephardim]] (Iberian), the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrahi_Jews Mizrahim]] (Middle-Eastern; there may, depending on who's counting, be more Mizrahim in Israel than Ashkenazim), 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), [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bene_Israel Bene Israelites]] (UsefulNotes/{{India}}), and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Israel Habashim]] (Ethiopian). Indeed, there are Jews from almost every country and culture, with their own distinct names and customs. And this is not even counting converts, who can (and do) come from every cultural background imaginable.

* One of [[ArtisticLicenseHistory many anachronisms]] in Ariana Franklin's ''Mistress of the Art of Death''. The Jews of 12th century Naples and Cambridge wear [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payot payot]] and speak Yiddish.

* One of [[ArtisticLicenseHistory many anachronisms]] in ''Mistress of the Art of Death''. The Jews of 12th century Cambridge speak Yiddish.

* Most of the early pioneers of American comics were the first-generation Americans of Ashkenazi descent. Most of them used pen names. Fathers of the Marvel Universe Creator/JackKirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) and Creator/StanLee (born Stanley Lieber) both grew up in Depression-era New York in Jewish neighborhoods after their parents immigrated to the states around the time of World War I. ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s MosesInTheBullrushes background was meant to be an allegory for creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuester parents' escaping antisemitism in modern-day Luthiania and Ukraine. ComicBook/{{Batman}}'s creators were both Ashkenazi Jewish as well. Bill Finger's father immigrated to the US from Austria in 1907 while his mother was an American-born Jew. His other creator, Bob Kane (born Robert Kahn), was similarly a first-generation American of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

-->'''Random Israeli Youtuber:''' "No wonder [the poeople in the video think the food]'s ugly, it's only Ashkenazi food. Had you gave them kibbeh and khrayme, they would've fucked the plate over."

This means that the Jew will be apparently of Central or Eastern European descent, will probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]]. The names of Jews will almost always end with -berg, -man, or -stein. These "Jewish names" are actually Germanic names adopted by Ashkenazi Jews. The trope is so pervasive that viewers from outside Germany, Poland or Russia tend to think ''only'' Jews have these names.

This means that the Jew will be apparently of Central or Eastern European descent, will probably eat gefilte fish and bagels with lox, and [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage may drop Yiddish words into their speech]]. The names of Jews will almost always end with -berg, -man, or -stein or contain the syllable "Gold". These "Jewish names" are actually Germanic names adopted by Ashkenazi Jews (the trend began with 18th century Austrian officials forcing Jews to adopt local last names to resident Jews who were still following the patrimonial format[[note]]e.g. Abraham, son of Tevye[[/note]]. The trope is so pervasive that viewers from outside Germany, Poland or Russia tend to think ''only'' Jews have these names.

* Most of the early pioneers of American comics were the first-generation Americans of Ashkenazi descent. Most of them used pen names. Fathers of the Marvel Universe Creator/JackKirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) and Creator/StanLee (born Stanley Lieber) both grew up in Depression-era New York in Jewish neighborhoods after their parents immigrated to the states around the time of World War I. ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s MosesInTheBullrushes background was meant to be an allegory for creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuester (who was born in Canada, not the US) parents' escaping antisemitism in modern-day Luthiania and Ukraine. ComicBook/{{Batman}}'s creators were both Ashkenazi Jewish as well. Bill Finger's father immigrated to the US from Austria in 1907 while his mother was an American-born Jew. His other creator, Bob Kane (born Robert Kahn), was similarly a first-generation American of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

* Ironically, Jews with the last name Ashkenazi are usually ''not'' Ashkenazi (actor Creator/LiorAshkenazi is Sephardi, for instance). Though the name probably originated from someone in their distant family history who was Ashkenazi, generations later, they're more likely to have predominantly Sephardi ancestry from southern Europe or the Ottoman Empire.

* Ironically, Jews with the last name Ashkenazi are usually ''not'' Ashkenazi. Though the name probably originated from someone in their distant family history who was Ashkenazi, generations later, they're more likely to have predominantly Sephardi ancestry from southern Europe or the Ottoman Empire.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings'' 2: While the autogeerated, randomly appearing jews in europe are mostly Ashkenazi, there is also a chance that they are Sephardim, especially if you have iberian culture yourself. Also, the two big jewish nations in the game are the ethiopian kingdom of Semien (later Auxium) and the jewish Khazar Khaganate, both of which follow their own culture and speak their own language (ethiopian and kazar respectively). Any character with any culture can be converted to judaism while keeping their original culture, resulting in things like jewish Sweden or jewish Afghanistan. All in all the game does a pretty good job at portraying jewish culture during this time period.