Minhag Ashkenaz is the

minhag ''Minhag'' ( "custom", classical pl. מנהגות, modern pl. מנהגים, ''minhagim'') is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, '' Nusach'' (נוסח), refers to the traditional order and form of the pra ...

of the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

German Jews The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

. Minhag Ashkenaz was common in Germany, Austria, the Czech lands, and elsewhere in Western Europe, in contrast to the

Minhag Polin Minhag Polin/Minhag Lita (Polish/Lithuanian/Prague rite) is the Ashkenazi minhag of the Polish Jews, the Polish/Lithuanian or Eastern branch of Nusach Ashkenaz, used in Eastern Europe, the United States and by some Israeli Ashkenazim, particularly ...

of the

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountains, and ...

Ashkenazi Jews.

Minhag Ashkenaz and Minhag Polin

The term "Minhag Ashkenaz", strictly applied, refers only to the minhag of German Jews south and west of the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

, most notably the community of

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Jews in Germany were historically divided into the "Bayers" of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

and southern Germany, who followed the Minhag Ashkenaz, and the "Polanders" in northern Germany who followed Minhag Polin.

History

Following

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

, a number of German Jews (Yekkes) escaped

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, relocating to the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, where they still have a synagogue,

Khal Adath Jeshurun Khal Adath Jeshurun, officially K'hal Adath Jeshurun, abbreviated as KAJ, is an Orthodox Jewish community and synagogue located at 85-93 Bennett Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United St ...

(KAJ), which punctiliously adheres to the Yekkish liturgical text, rituals, and melodies. Unlike most Ashkenazic synagogues in the United States, which follow the Eastern Ashkenazic ('' Poilisher'') liturgical

rite Rite may refer to: Religion * Ritual, an established ceremonious act * Rite (Christianity), sacred rituals in the Christian religion * Ritual family, Christian liturgical traditions; often also called ''liturgical rites'' * Catholic particular ch ...

, KAJ follows the Western Ashkenazic rite (Minhag Ashkenaz), in its liturgical text, practices, and

melodies A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term ca ...

. They use the Rödelheim Siddur Sfas Emes (see:

Wolf Heidenheim Benjamin Wolf ben Samson Heidenheim (; 1757 – February 23, 1832) was a German Biblical exegesis, exegete and grammarian. Biography Early life Born at Heidenheim, Bavaria, Heidenheim, at an early age Heidenheim was sent to Fürth, where he stud ...

), though the congregation's nusach varies in some places from

Rödelheim Rödelheim is a quarter of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the ''Ortsbezirk (Frankfurt am Main), Ortsbezirk Mitte-West'' and is subdivided into the ''Stadtbezirke'' Rödelheim-Ost and Rödelheim-West. There are a number of celebrities ...

Communities using Minhag Ashkenaz

List of communities, synagogues, and minyanim following Minhag Ashkenaz: *Yeshivas Frankfurt - Frankfurt, Germany *Yeshurun, Beis haKnesses kMinhog Ashkenaz -

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

*K'hal Adas Yisroel - Bnei Brak, Israel *K'hal Adas Yeshurun - Jerusalem (Ramot Polin) *K'hal Adas Yeshurun -

Beitar Illit Beitar Illit (; officially Betar Illit; ) is a Haredi Jewish-Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, southwest of Jerusalem in the West Bank. Beitar Illit is one of Israel's largest and most rapidly ...

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

*Beis Knesses k'Minhag Ashkenaz -

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

, Israel *Minyan k'Minhag Ashkenaz -

Rekhasim Rekhasim ()Marks, Yehudah. "The Torah Empire of the North", ''Hamodia'' Israel News, 19 March 2015, pp. 21-23. is a Haredi town in the Haifa District of Israel. It is located between Kiryat Tiv'on, Kiryat Ata, and Nesher, next to roads 70, 7 ...

, Israel *K'hal Adas Yeshurun of Beit Shemesh -

Beit Shemesh Beit Shemesh () is a city council (Israel), city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District. A center of Haredi Judaism and Modern Orthodoxy, Beit Shemesh has a population of 170,683 as of 2024. The city is named afte ...

, Israel *Kehillas Ashkenaz, Kiryat Sefer -

Modi'in Illit Modi'in Illit (; , lit. "Upper Modi'in") is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jewish-Israeli settlement organized as a city council (Israel), city council in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Built on the land of five Palest ...

, West Bank *Ashkenaz Minyan in Brooklyn - New York City *Passaic-Clifton Ashkenaz -

Passaic, New Jersey Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...

* Khal Yotzei Ashkenaz,

Lakewood, NJ Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and a ...

* Israelitische Religionsgesellschaft Zürich,

Zurich, Switzerland Zurich (; ) is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The urban area was home to 1.45 ...

References

External links

Shorshei Minhag Ashkenaz
Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz - The Institute for German Jewish Heritage {{Jews and Judaism Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Austria Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Germany Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Switzerland Ashkenazi Jewish culture in the Czech Republic German-Jewish culture in the United States Judaism in Austria Judaism in Germany Judaism in Switzerland Judaism in the Czech Republic Minhagim Yekke

Minhag Ashkenaz and Minhag Polin

History

Communities using Minhag Ashkenaz

See also

References

External links