Is being a Jew a "Race" or a "Nationality ?"?

Question

Even as in the USA.where one is obliged to "Swear." allegence to the "Nation "symbolicy in front of the National flag ;do the majority of the Jewish population consider themselves first and foremost a Jew rather than a citizen of the USA? Or do they feel that their religion is their " Being" therefore where they are born and protected by the "State" is of secondary importance?

Answer 1

It is both a race and a religion. The people saying it's "Just a religion" are misguided. You can be racially a Jew (i.e. your faith has been passed down matrilinialy from one generation to the next) but be a Christian in religious terms.

The main reason the Jews were targeted by the wrath of Hitler was that they were visibly racially different from the Arian race he was trying to create (despite having Jewish ancestors himself, a fact he never reconciled himself to). There are various features which mark people out as racially Jewish, but there are also converts who are racially something completely different, like Sammy Davis Jr for example, and have come to the faith later, they are religious Jews and not racially Jewish.

So, being a Jew can be a "Race" issue but generally speaking, Jews have adapted well to living in various countries and would consider themselves citizens of that country. It is, after all a diaspora religion.

Answer 2

It's neither, Judaism is a religion. Are you new? Would you consider Christianity to be a Race or Nationality? On what grounds do you question the patriotism of Americans who practice Judaism? That's a dangerous line of thinking that Hitler used to separate the German Jews from the rest of Germany. Be very, very careful where you tread here. We have a freedom of Religion here, if you don't like it, Cuba is close by.

Answer 3

Not a nationality. Possibly race. By that I mean that genetically, jews may be slightly different than other cacasians. If I remember correctly, there are certain diseases that affect Jews which may not affect others (kind of like sicle-cell affects blacks but not other races). That said, Jews are semetic (sp?) so I'm sure there are others (e.g. Arabs) who share the same genetic traits. But all that is really for jews of a certain ancestry/background. There are jews who are jews in religion only and not necessarily "race". Frankly, though- they're not purely a race-- I think they're still cacasian just like arabs...

I can't speak to the other piece of your questions- I presume it largely depends on the person.

Answer 4

Jew is a religion. If you happen to be a citizen of Israel, then you are an Israeli.

A Jew is like a Catholic - a religious belief. Jews tend to identify with their religion to a greater degree than most Christians.

Answer 5

Well, you could say, are you an American or a (insert your religion here)?

Jewish people haven't got a country of there own, so it isn't a nationality, it's a race, a religion.

Answer 6

Jewish is a religon but if your talkin about people it's more of an ethincity. not a race cuz many races claim to be the first Jews. and not a nationality cuz many people live in isreal.
Most people from other countries or with grandparents from someplace other than the US. call them selves that country or ethnicity of their forepeople.

Answer 7

Jewish is a religion. Israeli is a nationality. And the guy who said the "bagel" thing is a douche from birth.

Answer 8

Neither, its a religion. You can be any nationality you want and still be Jewish ( tho I wouldnt recommend it in places like Iran)

Answer 9

No bein a Jew means owning the company.. Settin the mark... Bein the boss etc... Also owning near on all of the bagel shops in new york

Answer 10

that's real complicated. That guy Jusso nailed it extraordinarily good. Judaism is extraordinarily tribal, over the years the human beings (non descendants of the orginal Hebrew human beings) who've converted to Judiasm have immersed themselves into this as properly. yet guy, I even have some warm words for Katrina T. No, a Jew isn't Jewish strictly via blood. the final public of the Jewish inhabitants as we communicate are the descdents of the Khazars. A human beings in southern Russia who's King and as a result his matters converted to Judaism interior the seven-hundred-800's CE. those human beings have been ultimately forced via adversarial buddies to flee, they frequently settled in countless aspects of europe and grew to alter into the Jews you notice frequently in the time of Europe as we communicate as properly because of the fact the ruling type in Israel. those human beings's organic and organic link to the unique Jews is minimum, if no longer non existant. yet culturally they're as Jewish as you will get.