202:, said that the Ashkenazi-dominated kibbutz movement "contributed to the vast socio-economic gaps that characterize Israel today" because "Ashkenazim enjoy near-unadulterated privilege and access to land and natural resources, which in turn yield significant economic opportunities. Meanwhile, Mizrahi “development towns” that sprang up around them house tens of thousands of people in small, cramped geographic areas that offer little opportunities for economic advancement."
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Given the dominant focus on the Hebrew language and
Israeli culture within American-Jewish cultural institutions, and the de-emphasizing of Yiddish culture, Jordan Kutzik questioned the extent to which Ashkenazi Jews are culturally Ashkenazi and what Ashkenormative refers to in the American context.
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defines
Ashkenormativity as the assumption that "Jewish life and culture is limited primarily to the experiences and customs of Ashkenazi Jews". The encyclopedia asserts that most American Jews, both Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi, have internalized Ashkenormative views due to the historical prominence
214:
Rokhl
Kaffrissen has argued that the term is a misnomer when Ashkenazi culture is widely denigrated within an American Jewish society which has embraced Sephardic Hebrew pronunciation and other elements of Sephardi culture as a result of self-hatred among 19th century German Jews and 20th century
58:
In 2021, Ashkenazi Jews were the majority of
American Jews, with Ashkenazi Jews making up 66% of the Jewish population, with another 6% having a mixed Ashkenazi/non-Ashkenazi background (such as Sephardi or Mizrahi). 63% of all American Jews identified as non-Hispanic white Ashkenazi Jews. 1% of
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Common stereotypes about Jews, such as having pale skin or wearing black hats, are often stereotypes about
Ashkenazi Jews specifically rather than Jews as a whole. These stereotypes apply to white Ashkenazim rather than Sephardi, Mizrahi, and other non-Ashkenazi Jews. Another example of
129:, Jews discuss the term to counter the power imbalance from a time when Jewish life was Ashkenormative. The word was included in the Newish Jewish Encyclopedia in 2019. It is more frequently used by Jewish people who are of diverse backgrounds or who are in their 30s or younger.
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believes that many Jewish-American organizations "focus on white
Ashkenazi history when discussing antisemitism" and thus erase the "existence of Ashkenazi Jews of Color" and their experiences of antisemitism. Ashkenormativity may overlap with
75:, Ashkenazi Jews of color "benefit from the normalization of Ashkenazi culture within the Jewish community." However, racism prevents Ashkenazi Jews of color from "access to the institutional power that tends to come with cultural dominance."
46:, as well as to the assumption that Ashkenazi culture is the default Jewish culture. The term is most commonly used in the United States, where the majority of Jews are Ashkenazi. Ashkenormativity is also alleged to exist in
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He further argued that the near-exclusive focus on
Israeli culture was a greater threat to the maintenance of Sephardic and Mizrahi cultural traditions in America than Ashkenazi Jews choosing to study Yiddish.
63:, the "dominance of Ashkenazi heritage (associated with Central and Eastern Europe) in American Judaism can make Jews who don't share that background feel out of place in synagogues and other Jewish settings."
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in Israel emulate
Eastern European Ashkenazi forms of Judaism at the expense of their own Sephardi heritage, with Sephardi rabbis experiencing pressure to adapt to Ashkenazi norms.
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American
Ashkenazi Jews were non-Hispanic Black, 1% were Hispanic, and 2% were mixed or of some other race (such as Asian). According to Ilana Kaufman, executive director of the
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cannot benefit from white privilege and some non-Ashkenazi Jews, such as white
Sephardi or white Mizrahi Jews, may benefit from white privilege.
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defines Ashkenormativity as "an Ashkenazi, or European Jewish, centricity in relation to dominant formulations of Jewish culture".
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as the default, excluding Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and other practices and histories from Jewish communal life.
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The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar's and Everything in Between
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444:"I'm a Jewish linguist, and I think 'Ashkenormativity' is a perfectly fine word"
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Ashkenormativity is assuming that iconic aspects of Ashkenazi culture, such the
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Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity (The Sherman Lecture Series , Vol 1)
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in Israel are or were historically majority Ashkenazi. Lihi Yona, writing for
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The term arose in Jewish discourse around 2014. According to linguist
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culture that confers privilege on Ashkenazi Jews relative to Jews of
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Ashkenazi Jews Used To Look Down On Us. Now They Gaslight Us Instead
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According to "Understanding Antisemitism", a document produced by
554:"Mizrahi Students Talk: Are Campus Communities Ashkenormative?"
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Jackson, Naomi M.; Pappas, Rebecca; Shapiro-Phim, Toni (2021).
384:
Butnick, Stephanie; Lebovitz, Liel; Oppenheimer, Mark (2019).
260:"9. Race, ethnicity, heritage and immigration among U.S. Jews"
579:"Black and Jewish Speakers Discuss Race with B'nai Israel"
421:. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 700.
281:"Understanding Antisemitism: An Offering to our Movement"
629:"Opinion: Ashkenormativity? What about Israel-Centrism?"
603:"The story of Israel's Ashkenazi supremacy in one river"
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Ashkenormativity Is a Threat to All Jewish Communities
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A form of Eurocentrism within Ashkenazi Jewish culture
659:"Why 'Ashkenormativity' Isn't a Thing · Jewschool"
155:The Jewish environmental advocacy organization
701:Let’s dismantle Ashkenormativity with allyship
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418:The Oxford Handbook of Jewishness and Dance
115:The Oxford Handbook of Jewishness and Dance
111:of Ashkenazim within American Jewish life.
329:"Ashkenormativity in the Jewish Community"
506:"Can Sephardic Judaism be Reconstructed?"
100:dictionary defines the term as assuming
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710:Why 'Ashkenormativity' Isn't a Thing
288:Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
73:Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
510:Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
627:Kutzik, Jordan (January 8, 2019).
262:. Pew Research Center. 11 May 2021
191:, are representative of all Jews.
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442:Bunin Benor, Sarah (2024-05-03).
148:said that Ashkenazified Sephardi
731:Definition of racism controversy
530:"Equity and Justice Statement"
108:The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia
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470:Stillman, Norman A. (1995).
308:"Fighting Antisemitism 2016"
230:Racism in Jewish communities
482:Harwood Academic Publishers
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449:Jewish Telegraphic Agency
44:non-Ashkenazi backgrounds
726:Ashkenazi Jewish culture
181:Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine
167:language, media such as
61:Jews of Color Initiative
741:Jewish American culture
67:Ashkenazi Jews of color
746:Jewish Israeli culture
583:Baltimore Jewish Times
363:Jewish English Lexicon
98:Jewish English Lexicon
77:Jewish Voice for Peace
657:rokhl (2015-04-09).
22:refers to a form of
705:The Times of Israel
484:. pp. 76, 84.
170:Fiddler on the Roof
310:. 7 September 2016
756:Religion and race
240:Whiteness studies
235:Jewish visibility
140:, an academic in
127:Sarah Bunin Benor
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633:The Forward
478:Milton Park
720:Categories
697:, Hey Alma
668:2024-05-30
643:2021-11-24
613:2022-04-18
588:2021-11-24
564:2021-11-24
558:New Voices
539:2021-11-24
515:2021-11-26
338:2021-11-24
314:2022-09-01
293:2022-09-01
266:2022-04-18
246:References
215:Zionists.
92:Definition
663:Jewschool
206:Criticism
196:kibbutzim
40:Ethiopian
219:See also
183:such as
176:Indecent
150:yeshivot
133:Examples
32:Sephardi
333:Sefaria
165:Yiddish
121:History
36:Mizrahi
26:within
751:Racism
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185:bagels
48:Israel
534:Hazon
455:9 May
369:9 May
284:(PDF)
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