Culture
Ashkenatza is one of the only Jewish themed micronations in our sector. With Yiddish culture and the macronational Pale of Settlement as its inspirations, Ashkenatzi culture can be generally described as 'Middle-European', with a large traditional Shtetl culture in the nation's countryside. Ashkenatza is notable due to its intense cultural focus, which has been a subject of some division in the Knesset over the nation's history, and encourages its citizens to contribute to works of fiction, city plans, and other such development.
Recently, Ashkenatza has also expanded borders to absorb several new cultural groups, including the huge minority of pseudo-Italian Tellians. Additionally, there are sizable Amokolian, Babkhi, and Shirerithian minorities. Ashkenatza remains a secular state, however Judaism remains important. Ashkenatza officially uses the Hebrew calendar in all government communications, for example, and there is an effort to increase use of Yiddish among non-Jewish minorities.
The Republic's national flag (ratio 1:2) was adopted in the State Symbols Act of October 2008 and is modelled on the Latvian, Belarussian (1991-1995) and Israeli flags, Latvia and Belarus being states on the historical territory of the Jewish Pale of Settlement. The Hebrew letter Aleph in the centre of the flag stands for 'Ashkenatza' and also, as the first letter of the alphabet, reminds citizens to strive to be all they can in life, to their fullest potential, and also as a Hebrew letter shows the importance of Jewish identity of the state. The two thick white bands represent hope for the future and happiness, whilst the thick red band shows the difficulties which must be overcome to attain them. The dark maroon of the flag has become something of a national symbol in its own right and is often used to show patriotism.
The Republic's State Arms and National Anthem were also adopted in the State Symbols Act. The Republic's Arms show an Eagle- Ashkenatza's unofficial national animal- bearing a shield with the letter Aleph- surrounded by a crest of olive leaves (symbolising peace at home and abroad), crowned with a small star of David. The banner beneath the Eagle reads 'Fun undzer Yiddishkeyt' in Latin Yiddish text (Hebrew Yiddish text versions are also used), the national motto- Yiddishkeit a Yiddish word difficult to translate evoking memories of a traditional Ashkenatzi Jewish way of life from the Shtetl.
Ashkenatza's national anthem is the Yiddish WWII resistance song, Zog Nit Keynmol, written in 1943 by the Jewish Partisan and Yiddish-language Poet Hirsch Glick.