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[quote=Anonymous][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]

Of course this because this makes perfect sense.

Ashkenazi, like Mizrahi, Sephardi, etc, denotes the ethnic origins.  Nothing more needs to be actually said.  It makes no sense to continue including the Jewish label because that is the religion.  If they aren't that religion, they don't need to be called Jewish.

Yes, these different groups can be traced back to regions, but the regions make up multiple countries and it's often not known which country they exactly originated from.  So the terms help with understanding the regions from which they came from-- which is their ethnic make up.  These names do not have to end with "Jewish".   Yes, you can say you are generically Jewish to express your ethnicity but this is more exact.

At one point in history it may have made sense but history evolves and language must evolve with it.  We're not all living like we did 3000 years ago.

[/quote]

Sure, absolutely. Though, FWIW, this is the answer I received on this question from a Reform Rabbi:

You can be Jewish in at least 2 ways --
1. You have the ethnic background (Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Sephardi, etc). If you have this, you're ethnically Jewish, whether you practice or not.
2. You have converted to Judaism. This makes you religiously Jewish, even if you aren't ethnically so.
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