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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]First off, the use of Ashkenazi/sephardi/mizrahi as  ethnic descriptors is only one usage within the Jewish world.  An older usage refers to halacha (Jewish law)  Observant Ashkenazi Jews follow ritual traditions going back to medieval Germany and northern France, sephardim to those from the yeshivas of medieval Spain.   In this sense most "mizrahi" jews are actually sephardim (though Yemenites have their own independent traditions) even if their families never spoke Ladino.

Secondly, at least in the US, Ashkenazi is almost never used by itself as independent descriptor.  It would always be "ashkenazi Jew" or "Sephardi Jew" etc, unless context made it very clear that it was only ethnic Jews being referred to.  Ashkenazi is sometimes use to refer to Israelis by antizionists trying to claim that Israelis are interlopers to the region (despite Mizrahi Jews making up about 40% of the Jewish population there)

There is one poster here who seems to think "Ashkenazi" is a term for Jews of eastern european descent who have become Christians.   I have never heard it used that way outside DCUM.   People who are not part of the Jewish community don't really follow "ashkenazi customs" (saying Kaddish on yom tov, avoiding legumes on Passover, etc).  I mean you are a christian who kugel cause your mom made it? Great, but calling yourself "Ashkenazi" just makes you sound silly.  [/quote]

For the 100th time, genetic counsels will ask you if you have Ashkenazi descent for testing purposes.  They don’t care if you’ve converted to Christianity, you’d still be of Ashkenazi (option to include the word Jewish!) descent.  It can be understand as an ethnic indicator only.[/quote]

Genetic counselors just say "Ashkenazi" and not "Ashkenazi Jewish"?  Well, I'll be. this convinces me that genetic counselors don't know much about Jewish cultural identity in the modern US, or terms for it.  Not that they need to though, they mainly want to know if you are descended from the 50,000 or so people who settled Jewish Eastern Europe creating a nasty genetic bottleneck.  I guess to me "ethnic" means culture, personal identity, not "race".  Note if you are ashkenazi genetic descent, you are likely about 35 to 40% southern French/NorthItalian/Sardinian/Corsican, you can also call your ethnic identity one of those, if you like. Mamma mia![/quote]

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