Jews: A Religious Community, a People, or a Race?

[Aeternitas]

Jews: A Religious Community, a People, or a Race?


Defining "Jew" has never been simple. Is he someone who practices
Judaism, the Jewish religion, or is he identified by his ancestry?
While many Americans assume that Jews are essentially a religious
group, Jews themselves take for granted that their community is much
more ethnic-national than it is religious.

Full article

[Menydh]

Benjamin Netanyahu, until recently Israel's prime minister, frankly
regards Jews as members of a racial group. Speaking in February to a
gathering of nearly a thousand Jews in southern California, he said:
"If Israel had not come into existence after World War II than [sic] I
am certain the Jewish race wouldn't have survived."

Interesting that he is defending the right to a land to preserve themselves, while we are denied preservation in our own lands.

[Theobald]

Benjamin Netanyahu, until recently Israel's prime minister, frankly
regards Jews as members of a racial group.

[...]

Echoing Netanyahu, an influential Jewish community paper with a
nationwide readership recently referred to Jews as a racial group.

I wonder how Falashas are "racially Jewish" though.

[Laocoon]

Originally Posted by Der Elsasser

I wonder how Falashas are "racially Jewish" though.

Falashas didn't even know the Talmud!... They had no knowledge of Hebrew... Go figure.
They're not ethnic-jews and won't be regarded as jews by jews. It's a myth : the open jews...

[Gil]

In biological terms they are not, as a whole, a different "race", since they are very heterogeneous, and as such do not qualify as a "race" but perhaps as an ethnic group (some common phenotypical traits and culture).
They are, no doubt about it, a sectarian religious community and a "people", if people is understood as ethnicity+culture.

[Tiago]

Originally Posted by Manji

In biological terms they are not, as a whole, a different "race", since they are very heterogeneous, and as such do not qualify as a "race" but perhaps as an ethnic group (some common phenotypical traits and culture).
They are, no doubt about it, a sectarian religious community and a "people", if people is understood as ethnicity+culture.

I tend to agree with this view. They have been mixing with Europeans and others for 2,000 years, yet they still cling to the concept of a Jewish "race". If they hadn't mixed they would be indistinguishable from their Palestinian neighbours.

[Ederico]

I guess Jews are primarily an ethnicity but not a distinct race. They are secondly a religious group.

[Tiago]

In the UK they are afforded (along with Sikhs) protection from discrimination as a separate racial/ethnic group - a privelege not afforded to Muslims, which is a great bone of contention, hence the desire of the current Government to enact a law recognising crimes of "religious hatred". It is interesting to note that in the UK, Muslims are more racially homogenous than Jews (but perhaps not Sikhs) since most Muslims in this country are from Bangladesh or Pakistan, but the Jews are from all over the place and have phenotypes to prove it. A Jew who I used to work with once explained that Jewish practice was changed during the diaspora so that they could incorporate non-Jewish blood to maintain their population. I've not read any corroborating evidence so this will have to remain foklore. But the variety of phenotypes in their "community" is so wide, it asks the question of whether they are really a racial grouping at all. At this point one starts to mention the term "ethnic" grouping, which always seems to me to be a bit of a woolly term to incorporate a bit of this or that into the mix.

[Alcide]

Jews are basically a mix of all the races existing in the world (european/arab/negroid/asiatic)

[M.R.]

Ethnic group and than religious community.

Most people view them as a mere religious community. I don't think that they're a race though.

[The Flying Dutchman]

Originally Posted by Ederico

I guess Jews are primarily an ethnicity but not a distinct race. They are secondly a religious group.

i agree with you Ederico

Originally Posted by The Flying Dutchman

i agree with you Ederico

If i'm not wrong Judaism is not a religion.

Jacque

[Menydh]

BBC - Religion & Ethics - Judaism

It is a religion and a philosophy and beliefs

[Sergius]

Why wouldn't Judaism be a religion?

Originally Posted by Mynydd

BBC - Religion & Ethics - Judaism

It is a religion and a philosophy and beliefs

Are you 100% sure ? maybe philosophy not sure if its religion


jacque

[Waarnemer]

Originally Posted by jacque

Are you 100% sure ? maybe philosophy not sure if its religion


jacque

define: Judaism;
the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

[Sergius]

Judaism has rituals, moral precepts, a God, prophets...Yes, it is a religion.

Originally Posted by Ljubomir

Judaism has rituals, moral precepts, a God, prophets...Yes, it is a religion.

I don't know, someone a jew told me, its not religion... i'm confused now.

jacque

[Cirrus]