Seeking Guidance: Ashkenazi or Sephardi Identity?

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. I find myself in a bit of a dilemma regarding my Jewish identity, and I’m reaching out to this knowledgeable community for some guidance.

I am a Jew whose family comes from different places (my mother is from USSR, dad is from Hungary). Although my dad is definitely Ashkenazi, my mother’s side my family are Crimean Jews with a long history in Crimea up until the 1940s. Our history was deeply rooted to the Turkish history of Crimea (in fact the family name was Muratoğlu until it was changed to Muratov around the year 1930 when they left Bakhchysarai). My question is where I would fall in all of this?

Often times my friends say I am Ashkenazi since I have very light skin and blue eyes, and lighter hair, but my mom’s side of the family (which is the more religious side) follows lots of older traditions more in line with the general Mizrahi community. Would my true “belonging” fall under the matrilineal line, as with many other things in Jewish custom, or how should I view all of it?

Thanks in advance!