Jew -race or just a religion or to some extent both?

Question

There are 3 branches of Judaism and they do not define a Jew the same way. Reform Jews state that those who adhere to the Jewish faith are Jews.
The Orthodox pretty much has one sole criteria, a Jewish mother, not necessarily a Jewish father.
They state they get the nation from the mother and the tribe from the father and if a person doesn't have a Jewish father they belong to the tribe of the nearest male relative on the mother's side of the family. Conservatives are sort of in between.
Wouldn't this mean that the mitochondrial DNA of Jews would indicate more of a racical strain than the Y and even the autosomal would be more than the Y?
My maternal grandfather was a Jew and his children did not know until after he died. They were not raised as Jews or around Jews except their father. However, an observer of my aunts, who had been around Jews a lot, would have identified them as Jewish, in appearance and in the way they expressed themselves. Idiosyncrancies are inherited.

I understand Orthodox Jews say children being raised as a Reform Jew. that do not have a Jewish mother, can only be Jews if they enter Judaism as a convert.

Well, Kenneth they weren't citizens of Israel.
But being Jewish without being religious, Yes. I remember hearing an Orthodox Jew say if he went to the Rabbi and told him he did not believe in God and the prophets and he wasn't a Jew any more. The Rabbi would tell him he was still a Jew.

Questions re race and ethnicity definitely applies to genealogy.

Questions re race and ethnicity are valid to genealogy. People who give fresh answers do not know their place.

Answer 1

I hate how involved people become in such a simple question. The levels of observance have nothing to do with weather Judaism is a race or religion or whatever. Those are just sects, like there are sects of Christianity.

I wouldn't call it a race. Religion or culture is acceptable, but not race.

It's really a religion but many people have adopted the traditions and rejected the more spiritual aspects.

Answer 2

Well I think as of now the correct term would be that the kids were Israeli. Jew would more than likely fall under the category of religious profiling much like Christian, Mormon, Muslim and so on. However, you can still in many aspects as you pointed out be Jewish without actually believing the religion, just through your jeans and traits. Based on those traits I would again just classify them as Israeli since that would more than likely speak better to the lineage of the situation.

Answer 3

Ethnic Jewish descent is traced through the father's line, but Orthodox and Conservative Jews don't recognize a person as Jewish unless his or her mother is Jewish. For example, Laura Schlessinger's dad was Jewish, but her mother was Italian, so according to this criteria, she wouldn't traditionally be classified as Jewish. Of course, any individual can convert to Judaism--as Dr. Laura did-- just as he or she can covert to Christianity, Islam, or any other religion.

Increasingly, various ethnic groups, such as Jews from Ethiopia, are being recognized as Jewish through DNA profiling. I've even read recently that Thomas Jefferson, who is supposedly of Welsh descent, has a DNA profile that indicates he is ethically Jewish.

Answer 4

I have address this question, Judaism is a religion.
Please check out this link:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ai_8ROe96L6WN.WJpGRNSQfsy6IX?qid=20070524222300AAQAdoH
If you have any questions, please address them and I will answer them there. But I am sure after reading my implies you will understand.

Answer 5

While you're here, have you a genealogy question we may try to help with?

Answer 6

whoa...i did not know any of dat...thanx!!!!!