Ashkenazi Jews trace their origins to the ancient Judean people of the Land of Israel. Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and subsequent dispersions and exiles, Jewish communities spread across the Mediterranean, and eventually into Europe, settling primarily in the regions that are now Germany, France, and later Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. The term “Ashkenazi” comes from “Ashkenaz,” a medieval word referring to the region along the Rhine River in what is now western Germany and northern France.
In Europe, Ashkenazi communities developed a long tradition of religious scholarship, including Talmudic study and rabbinic leadership. At the same time, they faced centuries of persecution, including expulsions from Western European countries, discriminatory laws, forced residence in ghettos, and violent pogroms in Eastern Europe. Ashkenazi Jews developed distinct cultural and religious traditions, including specific liturgical practices, dietary customs, and the Yiddish language — a fusion of German, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Slavic elements. These characteristics gave rise to a rich legacy of Yiddish literature, music, and theater.
The Holocaust (1941–1945) devastated Ashkenazi Jewry, with more than six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. After World War II, survivors rebuilt communities in Israel and the United States, preserving Ashkenazi traditions while also creating new practices and institutions of Jewish life.Today, Ashkenazi Jews continue to represent a significant portion of the global Jewish population and contribute to the diversity of Jewish cultural and religious practice.