Are Jewish people considered Jewish because of their faith, birthright, or both?

Question

When were Jewish people first called "Jews" in the bible and where did they originally live. Did they live in Juda or Jerusalem for example?

Answer 1

There are two ways to become a Jew
1. born of a Jewish mother
2. conversion

I am a Jew-by-choice. My children would be born Jews.

At one time the Promised Land was split into the north and the south. The north part was called Israel and the south (Jerusalem) was called Judah. The Assyrians destroyed the north (Israel) and those ten tribes were killed or dispersed among the nations. Those living in the south (Judah) came to be known as Jews.
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Answer 2

What is Judaism, and who or what is a Jew? Depending upon whom you talk to, or the selection of books you read, you will come away with very different answers to this most provocative question. Is Judaism simply a religion? Is it a cultural identity or just an ethnic group? Are Jews only a clan of people or are they a nation?



According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary a “Jew” is: 1a: a member of the tribe of Judah b: Israelite 2: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the 6th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. 3 : a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people 4 : one whose religion is Judaism.



According to rabbinical Judaism, a Jew is one who has a Jewish mother, or one who has formally converted to Judaism. Leviticus 24:10 is often cited to give this belief credibility, although the Torah makes no specific claim for this tradition. Some rabbis say that it has nothing to do with what that individual actually believes. These rabbis tell us that a Jew does not need to be a follower of Jewish laws and customs to be considered Jewish. In fact, a Jew can have no belief in God at all and still be Jewish based on the above rabbinical interpretation.



Other rabbis make it clear that unless the person follows the precepts of the Torah and accepts the “Thirteen Principles of Faith” which Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, one of the greatest medieval Jewish scholars) so clearly expresses, he cannot be a Jew. Although this person may be a “biological” Jew, he has no real connection to Judaism.



In the first book of the Torah, Genesis 14:13 teaches us that Abram, commonly recognized as the first Jew, (his name was later changed to Abraham) was described as a “Hebrew.” The name “Jew” comes from the name Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Apparently the name “Jew” originally referred to those who were only a member of the tribe of Judah, but when the kingdom was divided (Israel in the north and Judah in the South) after the reign of Solomon (1 Kings, chapter 12) it referred to anyone in the kingdom of Judah which included the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi. Today, many believe that a Jew is anyone who is a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, regardless of which of the original twelve tribes they descend from.

Answer 3

I understand it depends on what branch of Judaism you belong to. I understand that an Orthodox Jew believes you must have a Jewish mother in order to be a Jew unless you enter Judaism as a convert. They state the nation comes from the mother and the tribe from the father.
Reform Judaism believes if you have a Jewish parents and are being raised as a Jew you are a Jew.

Answer 4

This is an excellent question. First, there is no mention of the term "Jews" in the five Books of Moses. You encounter that term later on around first or second Kings. So it seems there were no Jews in the exodus with Moses, only the Children of Israel, the House of Israel and Israel.
The Jews explain this name by saying that it came from the name "Judah", which is utterly ridiculous because the two words have no matching consonants nor vowels. They also say that their religion is Judaism and that name comes from the name of Isacs' son Judah. They say that Abraham and all of the patriarchs were Jews. Again, impossible. How could Abraham and the ancients have been Jews if their religion of Judaism was named after Judah, the great-grandson of Abraham? If Judaism did not come about until Judah then Abraham, Aaron, Ham, Noah and Isac could not have been Jews or followers of the Judaic religion.
Also consider that there are two main branches of the Jewish family: sepharthic and ashkenazi. The sepharthic branch were know to be very early in Spain and North Africa. The last branch, ashkenazi desended from Ashkenaz who was the nephew of Magog and the son of Gomer, who was the son of Jepheth. The item of note here is that Ashkenaz was closely related to Magog, as in Gog & Magog. These people came out of eastern europe and russia yet they claim a divine right to Jerusalem.
It is a puzzle trying to work out this question of the religion and ethnic identy of the Jews. But one thing is sure, what we have been told is not true. Hopefully others here in the forum halp help us work it out.

Answer 5

You can convert to Judaism or you can be descended from Jewish people. The convention is that Jewishness passes through the mother, if I remember correctly, so children of a couple will only be Jewish if the mother is.

Answer 6

Let me tell you what I know. My Mom isJewish, and therefore by Jew law or whatever, I was Jewish. Now I don't follow Jewish law, so I'm whatever I want to be, but that's the way it seems to go.

And the Judah answer is right.

Answer 7

a person is jewish if their mother is a jew, so mostly its by birthright. you can also become jewish by going through the conversion process, but converts are a small minority in the jewish community because we don't seek converts. you can't be jewish just by faith. the first "jew" came from mesopotamia.

Answer 8

Well in the Hasidic,Haredi,Orthodox,and Conservative denomination if your mother is a jew then you are one of the denominations above.But if you were raised jewishor our father is jewish or if you are confirmed then you are reform.To be reform you would optionally study judaism then you would get blessed by the rabbi.But if you convert you are accepted by all denominations.

Answer 9

From the tribe of Judah and anyone living in Jerusalem!

Answer 10

Here is some interesting reading:

http://www.peacefaq.com/jews.html
http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/jewish-genetics.htm