Is Jewish a race or a religion?

Question

So...

Judaism is the religion.
Jewish is the race which can claim direct descendancy from Abraham.

Am I correct?

Answer 1

Being Jewish is neither a race nor a religion. A person is Jewish if they were born to a Jewish mother. So it's kind of like a nation or a tribe. Judaism is a religion, and it's the religion that most Jews follow. But you can be a Jew and be a Buddhist or a Hindu or a Wiccan. So long as you were born to a Jewish mother then you will always be Jewish, no matter what religion you follow.

What if you are not born to a Jewish mother? Then there is only one way to become a Jew, and that is to convert to the religion of Judaism. It's not an easy thing to do; it requires a lot of study, and an agreement to obey the Jewish laws (Halakha), and it involves immersion in a ritual bath (mikvah); and the whole thing has to be supervised by a rabbinic council. So it's not like you can become a Jew just by deciding that you want to. It's more like joining the tribe, and you have to go through a whole procedure. But once you are in the tribe, then you are fully Jewish; and if you're a mother, then all of your children who were born after your conversion to Judaism will also be Jewish; but the ones who were born before you converted will still be Gentiles.

So, being Jewish is not a race, because you could be any race and convert to Judaism; and it's not a religion, because if you are born as a Jew, then you can follow any religion and still be considered Jewish. So it's more like being a member of a tribe, or an extended "nation." There is a strong relationship between the Jewish people and the religion of Judaism; but they are not quite the same thing.

What if you were not born Jewish, but you are interested in the religion, but you don't want to convert? Then there is the Noahide (or Noachide) religion; that is kind of like Judaism for Gentiles, but it's a lot easier. Being Jewish is not easy, if you plan to obey all the Jewish laws like the kosher food laws, etc.

Answer 2

We are a religion, a nation and a family.

We can't be a race because then nobody could ever convert to Judaism, and clearly people do. Also, we have Jews from every possible ethnic background (or race) within the worldwide Jewish community.

EDIT DEE

- sorry, but you are not totally right :) If someone is born to a Jewish mother but they then decide to accept Jesus as messiah etc, then they are no longer Jewish, they are Christian. You can't be Jewish and also hold another, contradictory set of beliefs. Just as you could not be both Muslim AND Christian, so you cannot be both Jewish and another faith. You can, though, be a Jewish athiest or agnostic.

Answer 3

the ignorance on this site can be appalling. I am not referring to your question, but to some of the answers.

Jewish is referring to someone that practices Judaism. It is a religion. It is not a race. There is no common ethnic background for all Jews. Also according the the Reform Movement, when a Jew converts to another religion or accepts Christ as his savior, he is no longer Jewish. You cannot change your race.

I can understand your confusion, but anyone that says that Jewish refers to any racial characteristics is at best ignorant and at worst a bigot.

edit: debbiepittman - I read your fathers article. It is a great writing on the subject but he specifically states that Jewish is NOT a race.

Answer 4

The word "Jewish" is a descriptor or adjective that could be applied to other words. Not to contradict one of the other responders, but there technically is a Jewish race, compared to Gentiles. By this I'm referring to children directly descended from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes. Even in the New Testament book of Revelation, we can read of 12,000 Jews from the various tribes (not Dan, though) who will have a special mission for God in the future.

Other than that, you could say that there is a "Jewish" religion, or (and please correct me if I'm wrong), namely, Judaism as compared to the other world religions. But "Jewish" isn't a noun or the name of anything, at least if I understand your question. Am I on the right track?

Answer 5

Judaism is a faith. Being Jewish is a faith and/or a 'u . s . a .'. Being Jewish additionally skill being a member of the religion. The be conscious 'Semitic' refers to a race that comes with midsection-jap peoples. Jews are stated to be afflicted by racism/anti-semitism by using fact they are dealt with badly in spite of in the event that they do no longer practice Judaism. And it is okay to apply the be conscious Jews to communicate to Jewish human beings.

Answer 6

Hebrew has no word for religion. The Torah is just the way things are.

The 70 families that went down to Egypt represented all 70 races. So, it's not a race either.

Answer 7

This is a bit of a controversial subject. For example, when a person speaks against Israel or the Jews, they are called "anti-Semitic." To be Semitic is to belong to a specific race of people, a Middle Eastern branch of the human race. At the same time, to speak against the Jewish religion is also considered anti-Semitic.

During the time of the Christian conversion of Europe, it became important to take a Christian (Semitic) name in order to prove that one had renounced the Pagan traditions of ones ancestry and sworn allegiance to the Christ. Hmm.

A woman of intellect, such as yourself, should perhaps read the book of Esther in the Old Testament to understand the machinations of this process and what it means for the rest of us.

Answer 8

Judaism is a religion and a lot of people refer to it as "Jewish" or "being Jewish". It is not a race, although it collectively also refers to the Isrealites. The word "race", unless you are talking about Nascar or track and field, only applies to Caucasian, Asian, Eskimo, Native American, Black African, etc. and not to ethnic groups like Hispanic.

Answer 9

Both, it has two definitions.

Jew can refer to a descendant of Judah the rightful heirs to the throne of the kingdom of Israel after David was anointed king.

Jew can also refer to a follower of Judaism, the modern form of the religion having developed after the temple was destroyed in the first century AD.

Usually the first definition is used because many people consider themselves Jews, like celebrities, because their parents were Jews despite the fact they aren't devout followers of Judaism.

Answer 10

Being Jewish is a belief. Not a race.