A Facebook friend posted an article that said “Ashkenazi Jews found to be genetically European” and commented with something antisemitic. I, an Ashkenazi Jew, am confused.

Yes this person is getting unfriended.

First off, let me say that I was raised in a big Jewish family, but because of where I grew up I was very sheltered from antisemitism. As an adult, I do what I can to avoid corners of the internet where non-Jews discuss Jewish issues because antisemitism is not a good feeling. So I guess I’m still very sheltered.

This person on Facebook posted this thing about how Ashkenazis have been scientifically found to be “just Europeans”. He said something like “even though they’d like to think otherwise! Hah!”

Wtf is he talking about? My family never claimed to be anything but European by race. My mother will say things like “your grandfather wasn’t Polish even though he’s from Poland. They excluded Jews and he never spoke Polish in his life.” But we never claimed to be non-European.

I don’t think of Judaism as a race. It’s an ethnicity and/or a religion, or so I was always taught. I know there are some genetic differences between Ashkenazi Jews and other white people, but I assumed it was because we didn’t mingle with the larger white population for centuries. I always thought of my mom’s side of the family as white. They’ve never represented themselves otherwise.

Do Ashkenazi Jews claim to be Middle Eastern or something? Did I miss something?