A good friend, a non-Ashkenazi, recently approached me and told me that he needs an "Ashkenazi heart". I didn't understand what he meant and he explained. He started to renovate his apartment but stopped because doesn't have the heart to cause his neighbors discomfort [because of the noise]. He just can't do it. But if he would have an Ashkenazi heart, then he would be able to do it.
He didn't mean to be mean or offensive. We are very good friends and he is not the type to say hurtful things. But it was actually offensive to hear that, in his eyes, Ashkenazim can be cold-hearted. I am an Ashkenazi after all, so it was also a tad personal.
But we will never grow by getting defensive. So let us remember, fellow Ashkenazim, that there are people out there who have us tagged as cold-hearted and unfeeling, capable of causing others discomfort in order to derive personal gain. To combat this we have to show others [and ourselves] that we have hearts no less warm than our non-Ashkenazi brothers and sisters.
