Do you consider Judaism to be a race or religion?

Question

I have some friends who are converting to Judaism who say racial Judaism is a ridiculous notion and should not even be considered! I am proud to be ethnically Jewish and am quite offended by their comments. I accept them as religiously Jewish so why do they get angry that I embrace my racial Jewish heritage as well as being a religious Jew?

Has anyone experienced similar or can anyone explain why this tension is arising?

Comments from Jews, born Jews, converting Jews and non-Jews all appreciated :)

So my main problem is that I link Judaism and being Jewish? They go hand in hand for me but it seems that others view Judaism as a religion and Jewishness as an ethnicity.

I never expected this to be an easy question to answer, just some general open opinions, I'm not trying to offend converts just trying to understand why me and my converting friends are not in agreement on this issue.

I view Judaism as a Race, a Religion and a Culture - all having equal worth.

Answer 1

I agree with you. Jewish is an ethnicity as well as a religion. It is also a culture.

I would guess their opinion is based to some degree on their conversion. Since they are not culturally or ethnically Jewish they feel in some way insecure about their acceptance in the Jewish community.

I don't think it is a widely held belief.

edit: Maybe it is more widely held than I thought. They would be wrong though.

Answer 2

First - Judaism is a religion; that much is pretty apparent.

Judaism isn't a race, however; it is a people. There are Jews of every race on the earth - black, white, Native American, Asian, Hispanic (yes, I know some of those aren't strictly racial groups, but you get the idea). The better analogy is a nation, and citizenship in it; you can either be born a citizen of the "nation" because your mother was Jewish, or you can be a "naturalized" citizen of the nation because you convert.

You say that you are racially Jewish; if that's the case, then it would be logical to say that if you marry a Jewish man, then ALL your children will be Jewish, no matter what, even if they convert. After all, a person doesn't change race just because they move to another country, does he? I would have to say it's more likely that you are ETHNICALLY Jewish, but that's not a race either.

Quite frankly, those who hold Judaism to be a race are really just falling into Hitler's trap of being able to racially "profile" a Jew based on physical characteristics. Is THAT the example you want to follow? I didn't think so.

I certainly think being Jewish is something to be proud of, no matter how you got there. For myself, I'm a bit of a combination; I have Jewish ancestry, but I also converted to Judaism, since my Jewish ancestry isn't directly through the female line. You can't worry about what someone else wants you to be, ultimately, and of all people, you as a Jew should know that walking around wearing your heart on your sleeve will get you ABSOLUTELY nowhere. Be proud of WHO you are, and that's what matters.

Answer 3

I think that people don't understand that Jewish people, and their religion are one and the same. It is not that way for many other races of people. Like Christians or Catholics, Hindu, or Muslims, can be any race. However the Jewish faith has been so deeply ingrained into its people it is hard to distinguish between the two. You see as a Jew you have always done things in a certain way because of traditions and statutes within your faith. Someone converting into your religion doesn't know all these things, only the religious aspects of Judaism. It is your heritage and is a beautiful thing, Being Gods chosen people. You should be proud of your heritage it is one of great men of God, no one should ever try to try to separate the two. I am saying this as a Christian and have tried to read the Old Testament a couple of times through and have studied many books of the OT separately, and have a deep respect for your faith. It is from your people that my Saviour came.

Answer 4

The traditional definition of a Jew is one who has a Jewish mother. The Jewish people today can trace their roots to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Bible. And it was Moses who led the Jewish nation out from Egypt about 3300 years ago. Due to historically very low intermarriage rates, Jews have preserved this ethnic group over the millenia. While not pure (e.g. there have been conversions, intermarriages, etc.), several recent genetic studies have pointed to the homogeneity of the Jewish gene pool today. So it is certainly true to say that Jews are an ethnic group. As you noticed, the majority of the Jewish people are not actively practicing the religion of Judaism. Orthdox Jews, representing a minority of about 10-15% of the American Jewish population, are known to adhere to the religion of Judaism. The remaining majority have a various liberal approaches to religious practice, and some are completely secular. But they may still may feel strongly about belonging to the Jewish people. Judaism does not actively seek converts. However, it is possible, but not quick or easy, for a truly committed person to become a Jew by choice. A local Orthodox rabbi should be consulted in such situations.

Answer 5

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people.

Jews are a people, not a race. It has always been possible to convert to Judaism, which makes you a Jew, whereas you can't convert to a race.

There are many non-religious Jews, so it's certainly not just a religion.

Traditionally, everyone who is born by a Jewish mother (whether of Jewish faith or not) OR has converted to Judaism is a Jew.

Answer 6

Judaism is a relgion. There is more than one ethnic group that makes up what anti-Semites call the "Jewish Race." Most Jews today are ethnically Ashkenazi - however, they are hardly the only ethnic group. I would suggest you take a look at the wikipedia article on this subject for a more through explanation - see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_ethnic_divisions

Good Luck!!!

Answer 7

I've never considered Jews being a race, just people who have the religion. Just like not all Christians are white, not all Jews are the same color.

Look at Adam Sandler, Pauly Shore, Jerry Springer, they are not "obviously" Jewish.

But I am not Jewish either, so I can't claim to be an expert or even a novice of either the race nor the belief.

Answer 8

It's a race, a religion, and a culture.

I for instance, am racially part Jewish, but not Jewish in religion or culture. You can have people who are Jewish in religion but not in race or culture. Most Jews have bit of all three.

And DNA tests have conclusively shown that there are particular sequences unique to Jews, whether Askenazi, Sepharadi or Ethiopian. That's about as close to a definition of race as you can get.

Answer 9

I'm a Jewish atheist...

Being a Jew is an ethnicity. Judaism is a religion.
I am a Jew (culturally) and an atheist (religiously). I don't believe in Judaism, the same way I don't believe in Christianity.

Answer 10

Both. It should be noted that converts to Judaism are very rare, you generally have to be born Jewish. Also, because of the richness of the Faith and its sacred Hebrew, it's very difficult for a gentile to play 'catch up' with the people who were born Jewish; they will have studied from a young age.