Conversation so far:
What is the etymology?
The name Ashkenazi derives from the biblical figure of Ashkenaz, the first son of Gomer, son of Japhet, son of Noah, and a Japhetic patriarch in the Table of Nations.
What was special about them?
Ashkenaz figures as one of three kingdoms in the far north, the others being Minni and Ararat, perhaps corresponding to Urartu, called on by God to resist Babylon.

Question: Did they have any problems?
Self-contained rewrite: Did Ashkenazi Jews have any problems?