ASHKENAZIC Jew are not in fact Jew?

Question

I heard that ASHKENAZIC Jew have no biological relashionships with Abraham. This theory states ASHKENAZIC(Eastern Europe) converted themselves into Jewish religion in 6c AD. Do you know any?

ASHKENAZIC Jews are not biologically Jews. This may be commonly accepted?

Answer 1

Well, let's not be so general. First, I want to see a person who managed to obtain a sample of Abraham's DNA to prove absence or presence of biological connection between him and millions of Ashkenazi Jews.

On another hand, it is true that many Ashkenazi are the descendants of slaves (from the times of Kazan Kaganat, a Jewish state which existed in Eastern Europe in Dark Ages) for whom conversion into Judaism was often a way to buy freedom.

This information doesn't mean that ALL Ashkenazi are not biologically speaking Jews, because there is verbal as well as archeological evidence that the first Jews who let's say settled in what is now called Ukraine, crossed the Crimean penninsula in 3rd century a.d.

Now that we are clear on this - as clear as you can be about something that happened so long ago and in times when litteracy was very scarce and there's almost no contemporary records of the events described above. However, let's go back to Abraham.

Was he a Jew? He was and he wasn't. He definitely wasn't born a Jew, but became one. Still, much of his behaviour as it is described in Scriptures is very non-Jewish ( the connection with Agar was definitely against Jewish contemporary traditions). I am sure, you can encounter Jewish scholars who doubt the Jewishness of Abraham.

Which brings us to a question: what is it, to be a Jew? It is definitely more than religion, it is a culture. More than that, it is a nationality, because it assumes religious, cultural, and geografical belonging. However, any Jewish scholar will tell you that being a Jew means living according the Judaism, the teaching of Torah. And what does Torah teach us? Many things, but the most important one: Love thine neighbour. Or as one great rabbi put it: "Don't treat others the way you don't want to be treated."

Now if we accept this as the measure of being/not being a Jew, the question disappears, because it is not only utterly imposible to know and charachterize behavior of Ashkenazis, but impossible to know one of Abraham.

Answer 2

This is completely false. There are records of Jewish European communities being established after the destruction of the first temple. The trail of ashkenazic Jewry is from Israel to Babylon, off to france and italy and eventually to Poland and Russia. There are scholarly writings and historical evidence of all these temporary dwellings.

You may be thinking of the Kuzhari state, which has been said all converted to Judaism but they were not all of Judaism and many would have been killed when the kingdom fell. The facts regarding this kingdom and conversion have not yet been confirmed.

Answer 3

Many people, jews and non-jews, would be biologically related to Abraham if we assume he was a real person and none of if lines have yet to die out.

A genetic study of Ashkenazi jews in Isreal showed them to have genetic profiles similar to that of modern day Europeans with enough similarities to modern day Palistinians to suggest some heritage from biblical regions.

It should be noted that the bible describes jews as a scattered people and in many instances it speaks of one person being what we can assume to be jewish in a religious sense while their brother, wife, son, etc, may be of another religion, for example, a Baal worshipper.

Many jews in biblical days were infact converts and came from different regions and tribes so I think it's silly to think of jews as an unchanging unified "race" of people.

Answer 4

Let me iron out the different labels within Judaism:

Ashkenazi Jew:
Hebrew word: Ashkenaz = Germany. Refers these days to the Jews who upon the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, fled upwards from Palestine and into Europe and Near Asia. Also denotes Jewish people in the US, South Africa, South America etc as a result of WW2 mainly.

Sephardi Jew:
Hebrew word: Sephard = Spain
Refers these days to the Jews who fled upwards from Palestine and into Spain, where they experienced what they call "The Golden Age" which produced thinkers like the Rambam (Maimonides) and vast amounts of poetry. Expelled from Spain by the Christians as they conquered the land from the Muslim rulers at the time, the Jews of Spain fled south, into Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Palestine and Northern Africa. Also denotes people in the US, South Africa, South America etc. as a result of mainly WW2 and post 1948 Palestinian conflicts.

Mizrachi Jew:
Hebrew word: Mizrach = East
Refers to Jews originating from the Middle East (not Northern Africa).

Temani Jew:
Hebrew word: Teman = Yemen
Refers exclusively to the isolated Jews originating from Yemen. Communities exist in the UK, the US, and Europe as a result of the civil war in Yemen in the 1990's, and the generally anti-Zionist opinion held by the community itself. Large groups were taken from Sana'a within 20 years, starting in the late 1970's, and actively asssimilated into secular western Jewish lifestyles in Palestine. A number of Yemeni Jews stayed in Palestine. Others fled from there and into the US or the UK, and continue to do so.

Adeni Jew:
Hebrew word: Aden = south Yemen (once a British colony state called Aden, now a province of Yemen)
Refers exclusively to Jews originating from southern Yemen. See details in "Temani Jew".

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I know this very well, after having the benefit of living with religious Yemeni Jews for several years.

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Generally speaking, Ashkenazi Jews watered down over the ages, with the exception of the Chassidic Jews (originating in Eastern Europe in the 1700's). Middle Eastern Jews have managed to hold onto their faith and creed much stronger, partly since they hold the same cultural structure as the Muslims in the area have. In other words:

When people in the west talk about faith, they talk about it in a spiritual, "hippie", hobby-type perspective. Westerners don't wear their faith on their sleeve, so to speak. Many ppl only use their faith during the weekends or when in distress.

People in/from the Middle East, of all faiths, are very different on this point. Their faith becomes their identity and everyday life is structured around it. From when you wake up till you go to sleep at night, everything you do, is done from the perspective of your faith.

This is also what divides Ashkenazi and Sephardi/Mizrachi/Temani Jews apart. And sometimes causes the latter to wonder if the former is even a Jew at all.....

Only God knows.

Answer 5

they're jews because a study done over their chromosomes (Y chromosome which comes from the father and mitochondrial DNA which comes from the mother)showed that they are descendants of middle eastern males (descendants of Abraham) and caucasian females .

Answer 6

I easily have no longer something to function, somewhat, to paperback_writer's and Mark S.'s solutions - yet I do could desire to make somewhat sparkling that Nikki ought to no longer be extra incorrect approximately converts (Jews by way of selection) being scorned. at actual the opposite, the convert (which is composed of me) is welcomed, and as quickly as time-honored as a Jew NO differentiation is created from people who're Jewish by way of delivery and upbringing. i do no longer understand what Nikki ability while she talks approximately it being 'delicately' positioned concerning Jewish delivery. this is completely sparkling and not something to be 'mushy' approximately. if your mom is Jewish, it somewhat is anticipated which you would be stated Jewish and as a result you're seen as belonging to the Jewish community. while you're born to a mom who's Jewish under Jewish regulation, then you definately are Jewish. despite if, maximum synagogues won't settle for you as a member at once except you have had adequate Jewish training. you do no longer ought to bypass by way of conversion, yet you're able to be able to nicely be asked to undertake instructions alongside those preparation conversion formerly being time-honored as a member. Jews for Jesus isn't a Jewish team, as has been observed. what isn't sparkling to Christians, it form of feels, is that Judaism is an rather diverse form of element from Christianity and the undeniable fact that the two are talked approximately as 'religions' does tend to point that Christians assume that Judaism is only Christianity without Jesus. this is no longer - it somewhat is an completely diverse way of living and action and spirituality. there is not any situation in being Jewish and atheist, as a results of fact being Jewish is approximately action, no longer approximately creed. yet professed ideals that run counter to Judaism - such as a results of fact the thought of a guy being a god, or a facet of God, or of God being tripartite - are thoroughly unacceptable and people who carry them can not be termed Jews in any significant experience.

Answer 7

i know that this is not the answer you are looking for but i don/t think god cares if you are a direct descendant of abraham, but only that you are doing your best to be the best person you can be