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==Origins of Ashkenazim==
Although the historical record itself is very limited, there is a consensus of cultural, linguistic, and genetic evidence that the Ashkenazi Jewish population originated in the Middle East. When they arrived in northern France and the Rhineland sometime around 800-1000 CE, the Ashkenazi Jews brought with them both [[Rabbinic Judaism]] and the Babylonian Talmudic culture that underlies it. The [[Yiddish language]], once spoken by the vast majority of Ashkenazi Jewry, is a [[Middle High German]] dialect heavily influenced by [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]], but not by [[Greek language|Greek]] or [[Latin]]. Recent research in human genetics has also demonstrated that a significant component of Ashkenazi ancestry is Middle Eastern. An alternate theory is that Ashkenazis are predominately decscended from [[Khazars]]. Several genetic studies support this theory.
European Jews became called "Ashkenaz" because the main centers of Jewish learning were located in [[Germany]]. "Ashkenaz" is a [[Medieval Hebrew]] name for Germany.
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