Are all people from Israel considered Jewish?

Question

Please end this argument I'm having with my husband. I have explained that "Jewish" means those practicing the religion of Judaism. He says that "Jewish" describes people who are from Jerusalem / Israel. I can't convince him otherwise. Please help settle this dispute.

Answer 1

NO. Jewish refers to both a religion and an ethnicity/race. Israeli refers to *nationality* the people who live in Israel - most of whom are Jews, but there are also many Israeli Arabs, Muslims, Christians, and all sorts of people.
You can convert to Judaism, or if your mother was Jewish then you are born Jewish. Neither gives you automatic citizenship for Israel.
Hee hee, you're right, and he's wrong.

Answer 2

All people from Israel are not Jewish. There are both Jews that are secular and religious Jews in Israel. There are also Arabs who may or may not be Muslims in Israel as well. The Israeli Arabs are citizens, just like the Jews (with the exception that they are often treated as second class citizens like blacks have been in the United States). There are three basic divisions in Judiasm: Coservitive, Orthodox, and Reform. Many of the highly Orthodox in Israel do not recognize the state. In their minds, they are Jews but they do not live in Israel because they think that states are arbitrary constructions and against the laws of God. (We might call them anarchists). Thank you.

Answer 3

Your husband is wrong. Judaism is a religion (and in some ways an ethnicitiy), but NOT a nationality. To say "Jews are people who are from Israel" would be surprising news to the millions and millions of people who eat Matzoh and go to temple every week and yet don't live in Israel! Nevermind the minority of people who live in Israel yet aren't Jews.

Does your husband believe "Catholics are people who live in Vatican City" too? Maybe even "Stock brokers are people who work on Wall St. in New York City", therefore there are no stock brokers who live in California?

Answer 4

Nope. In fact, I just saw a documentary not long ago on PBS about Israeli Arabs who lived in Israel before it was turned into a country and didn't move away. Jewish means of Jewish descent or practicing the Jewish faith. People who are from Israel are Israeli. They could be Muslim, Christian, atheist...in fact, a million Muslim Arabs live in Israel!

Answer 5

You're right. "Jewish" means those people who practice Judaism. Jewish doesn't describe all people who are from Jerusalem/Israel. Is your husband thinking of "Israelite" or "hebrews"?

Answer 6

You are right.. it describes those practicing the religion, from any country in the world.. being from Israel doesn't only mean Jews.. there are Christians and Muslims there too.. but Jews are the biggest majority.

Answer 7

I think people who practice Judaism, Biblical Israel and Political Israel are three different groups that could contain some of the same members. I'd say more, but someone else might answer this better and quicker. I'll probably come back to this. I'm interested in this topic right now. E-mail me if you want to discuss my views on this.

Answer 8

He is wrong but you are not entirely correct.
If a gentile (non Jew) practices Judaism it does not make him/her a Jew. Rather, a Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother (whether they are religious or not) or one who has properly converted according to the dictates of Jewish law.
Now, there are about 6 million Jews in Israel and about 1.5 (?) non Jews in Israel. There are about 15 million Jews worldwide of which 5.5 million are in the US alone.

Answer 9

Judaism originated from Jerusalem/Isreal but that does not necessarily make you Jewish. You can be born into another faith over there. Judaism itself is an ideology not soil.

Answer 10

you"re right.Jewish refers to the Jewish religion. When someone converts from Judaism to any other religion theay are still Israeli but not Jewish.Sometimes we use the word Jewish to refer to Israelis, but that"s wrong