is jewish a religon or an ethnisity my teacher said that u can only be jewish by blood.?

Question

But then why are white people jewish because Israel and Jerusalm are on the border of Africa which makes the origanal Jews black! Unless my teacher is wrong which I am sure he is I think anyone can be Jewish because it is an religon just like catholic and christain.

Answer 1

Your teacher would have been right if we were living about 2000 years ago. The original Hebrew people was Middle Eastern, if the Bible is to be believed, because Abraham came from Mesopotamia. The Hebrews then spent a good 500 years in slavery and fighting for their country back. Then they established kings, and the fourth generation of kings split the kingdom of Israel apart, into Judah in the south and Israel in the north.

The Israelites in the north were wiped out, and those who survived were enslaved. The Judeans were all enslaved, and after they were freed, they scattered across the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe (sometime after 100 CE and before 1000 CE). This is called the Diaspora.

There has been no "Jewish race" since the Diaspora, since it is virtually impossible to trace a Jew's roots back to the time of the Diaspora, let alone before. Thus it is a religion, not a race.

You are right. Tell your teacher to do her homework.

Answer 2

Jewishness is both a religion and an ethnicity.
A person of any ethnicity can convert to Judaism, the religion.
According to Jewish (religious) law, the child of a Jewish mother is Jewish whether or not the mother or the child is religious. If the child is a girl, her children in turn will be Jewish. In this sense, Jewish ethnicity is passed on, and there are many people who are "legally" Jewish and don't even know it.
Some Jewish groups also allow Jewishness to be passed down through the father.
So you are right, anybody can become a Jew.
Your teacher is partly right, in that Jewishness is passed down by blood; but this is not the only way to become a Jew.

Answer 3

The original Jews were not black. They were Middle Eastern!!!

Judaism is a religion not an ethnicity.

By Jewish law if your mother was Jewish then so are you (so there is something to the Jewish by blood).

Why are there Jewish White people? As the 12 Tribes of Israel dispersed many wound up in European countries and likely married with the people already there. As I said, being Jewish is passed down from the female side.

And yes there are black Jews - from Ethiopia. It is thought they may be descended from one of the 12 tribes OR they were Christians who converted to Judaism. No one knows for sure.

Answer 4

It's a religion and an ethnicity. Most Jews are from a Jewish background, Making it mostly a ethnic choice. But people can convert from any religion to Judaism. They'd still be called jewish.

Answer 5

Jewish is a ethnicity, Judaism is a religion. Technically all life spawned from Africa. Just because you are of African decendency doesn't mean you're black, just think of Egyptians. The whole northern spread of countries are technically the Middle East. Plus most teachers are stupid and they think that you'll believe anything.

Answer 6

Take a better look at the world map..!
Africa stops at the Suez channel..

Answer 7

Religiously, one can convert to Judism but the funny thing is that they will deny you 3 times before accepting you into their fold.

Answer 8

Your teacher is wrong. It's a religion so anybody can convert.

Answer 9

Jewish people are from Jerusalem... Judaism is the religion which plural is Jewish... so they are similar, people get them confused...

Answer 10

Jews are the name for people who came from Judah...your teacher is wrong...as are you.