<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

First of all, I want to give a big thank you to everyone who responded to
this query as well as the 2 others I have asked. Having been diagnosed 4
months ago, I think I  would really have been lost if it wasn't for the
caring and sharing of this group!

Now, as to the summary:
There were 26 replies from either Askenazie Jews or their spouses:
Those with roots in Ukraine (at least one side of family)= 24
Responses of those with roots in other European countries=
Poland- 6    Isreal- 1    Germany-1   Lithuania- 1   Latvia- 3
Austria- 3   Roumania- 2  Galacia- 1  Belarus- 1     Finland-1

Some interesting observations:
"CD is very common in Ukraine ( the bread basket of Europe)".

"I have heard there is a fair amount of celiac in Finland (the McD's serve gf
buns), but I think the Finns are of different origin than other
Scandinavians."

One person mentioned the greater incidence of lactose intolerance in the
Ashkenazie group than in other european groups. "Since there is some
relationship to CD, this may be a clue."

The same person noted her family has " a lot of other autoimmune diseases
including Diabetes Mellitus and Cogan's syndrome ( a rare autoimmune disease
that causes deafness.")

The comments about MD's were eye-opening:
"Since my Askenazie MD thought that very few Jews had celiac, it took a while
to find."

A Pediatric GI specialist told one respondent that he "considers it a Jewish
disease", and since his practice is in "pretty Jewish area of Cleveland" the
respondent wondered if it is "a Jewish disease, or is it just a skewed
sample."

When contacting a CD organization in her community, she was asked if she was
"Irish or Jewish, virtually everyone in our group is one or the other."

At age 50, a respondent's Jewish primary care doctor didn't want to refer her
to a GI specialist because, "Jew's don't get Celiac." She was eventually
referred to a specialist (also Jewish) who was surprised that her blood test
and biopsy were positive because, "Jew's don't get it."

Another woman's GI specialist told her, "Celiac is almost as prevalent in
Ashkenazie Jews as it is in people with Irish heritage."

So, what conclusions can we make? I don't think we can say anything
definitive about numbers of people affected, but I do think we can say that
there are many Jews of Ashkenazie roots who may be affected. And many of them
may not be aware of it, as my 50 year old brother who was diagnosed at age 10
with colitis. He may have colitis, but he is feeling better on a gf diet. For
those whose relatives don't want to be evaluated, I'd say they need to be
educated about GI Cancer. And lastly, we need to educate our healthcare
professionals that Jews do get Celiac.