Does the word "Jew" or "Jewish" refer to a race, a religion, or neither or both? I know that some people described as Jewish can get a disease or condition exclusive to them, much like blacks can get sickle-cell. Does this mean they're a different race than "Gentiles?"
2006-07-11 13:37:52 · 12 answers · asked by DashRockwood 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
'Jew' refers to people that hold the religion of Judaism. The word for the race of the people that come from Israel, who are mostly jews, is 'hebrew'.
The genetic disease that you're thinking of is Tay-Sachs disease.
2006-07-11 18:13:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jewish people used to be a race, from the twelve branches that lived in Israel about 2000-3000 years ago, but after the temple was destroyed the became a religion and not a race any more because many others became Jewish which was prohibited back in the days.
2006-07-11 20:45:10 · answer #2 · answered by julian r 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jew or Jewish refers to someone who is a believer in Judaism, but that's not the whole story.
judaism is a religion, therefore, people can convert in. But Judaism is also passed matrilineally, and as Jews marry other Jews, there is a strong genetic component. So for diseases like tay-sachs there is a higher incidence in Jewish communities than in others (same with gaucher's i think). But do not confuse this genetic element with a distinct "race" -- Judaism is not a race, but a religion, culture, history and ethnicity. There are jews of many different races and, in fact, Tay-Sachs is only dominant in Jews of Eastern-European descent.
2006-07-11 20:43:51 · answer #3 · answered by rosends 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a good question.
Jews are members of a race, the Semetic race. This includes Jews and Muslims from the same area (Israel, Jordan, Iraq, etc.). There are some Jews who have moved to Europe and maried Europeans, and those Jews are a mixture of Semite and Caucasian. But generally, Jews from Israel will be 100% Semetic.
Yes, they are a different race from Gentiles.
You can convert to Judaism but you can not become a Semite. Simlarly, You can become Taoist but not become Asian.
2006-07-11 23:12:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
being Jewish is not a race but a religion. The only reason why certain diseases are seen amoung Jews is because people tend to marry those of the same religion, keeping the disease amoung that type of religioin
2006-07-11 20:41:52 · answer #5 · answered by cinfull 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jews are a people, their religion is Jewish, their nation is Israel. You have to born a Jew, you can not become one. Most Jews are secular-they do not worship God.
2006-07-11 20:44:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Very good question.
Rather than race, I think Jewish may apply to religion and/or to ethnicity.
2006-07-11 22:37:20 · answer #7 · answered by happy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not Jewish, but I'm pretty sure the terms do not refer to a race (unless you're NAZI), but as a cultural group. And I'm also pretty sure 'gentiles' are self-appointed.
2006-07-11 23:48:05 · answer #8 · answered by matt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jew by blood, Jew by religion, they are not Anglo Saxon. they were here long before Eastern Europe was populated with White people.
2006-07-11 20:59:16 · answer #9 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both. Jews morph between the two whenever the need arises to keep their neck out of the noose.
2006-07-11 20:44:59 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋