Is being Jewish really just a religion? Or is it an ethnicity, too?

Question

I've had different Jewish friends tell me different answers. Some say its just a religion. Some say it is a religion but then it is also an ethnicity. This confuses me a lot.

Answer 1

its a natonality not an ethinic group.

take being american for example. You can be born, you can become a natualized citizen and you can even lose your citizenship in extreme cases.

the same thing goes with being Jewish. You can be born, convert ,or convert out.

Answer 2

Judaism is a Religion, although they may share some similar ethnic qualities.

According to Halakha (Jewish law), only a convert or a child born to a Jewish mother is counted as Jewish. A child with a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother is considered a non-Jew. Although an infant conversion might be contemplated in some circumstances (such as in the case of adopted children or children whose parents convert), children who convert would typically be asked if they want to remain Jewish after reaching religious adulthood, which is 12 years old for a girl, 13 for a boy. This standard is applied within Conservative and Orthodox Judaism, which accept Halakha as normative (although differing in their interpretations). Other Jewish denominations, which do not accept Halakha (Jewish law) as normative, have adopted different standards. American Reform Judaism and British Liberal Judaism accept the child of one Jewish parent (father or mother) as Jewish if the parents raise the child as a Jew by Progressive standards. All mainstream forms of Judaism today are open to sincere converts.

Answer 3

jewish people are a segregated group, when ever groups are segregated the same families tend to have marriages
(I'm not talking about incest, I mean there's like 200 families and probally 100 marriages. and then the cousins of the brides and grooms might marry different families within the 200 total)

this why jewish people have similar, unique appearances (yes the nose thing included). israel is a country and a nationality-israeli. most people in israel are jewish.
now with ww2 even when people converted they were put in the camps. the rules was if their father's father was jewish they were still a jew, even if they practiced a different religion. so it was treated like a an ethinicity.

there is no set answer on this. it really depends on opinion

Answer 4

I would consider it both - but in the end i would say its more of a religion than anything. Since anyone can become Jewish in the sense of the religion.

Answer 5

It is both! Jews are followers of Judaism or, more generally, members of the Jewish people (also known as the Jewish nation, or the Children of Israel), an ethno-religious group descended from the ancient Israelites and from converts who joined their religion. The term also includes those who have undergone an officially recognized formal process of religious conversion to Judaism.

Answer 6

Its more of a religion than a ethnicity. Anyone can technically become Jewish, but an ethnicity you cant change because you cant change where you were born.

Answer 7

Ä°t is generally accepted that it is an ethnicity.However,some sociologists or historians, like Arthur Coestler(he is a jewish himself),claim that most of the European Jews are descendants of a Turkish tribe called KHAZARS.You can find out more information about this Turkish tribe on the internet.

Answer 8

Its both a religion and an ethnicity.

Answer 9

Judaism is a religion. However, many Jews are from Israel, and in that sense, it would also be an ethnicity.

Answer 10

It can be considered a religion but it's actually more like a nationality. My ex was Jewish and when I asked him what nationality he was, he told me he was Jewish-Ukrainian.