Judaism is a religion. How can people say that they are for example "quarter Jew" when being Jewish is a religious choice?

People convert to Judaism and are then labelled Jewish. It follows that people born Jewish do not have to be Jewish.

So what is "Jewish"? Is it an ethnicity or just a religion?

Both. Most Jews originated from the same place.

i think people mistakenly make jew synonymous with israelite. not the israel of today, but israel the patriarch of the original nomadic jewish tribes.

there really is no such thing as being a quarter jew or half jew. you are either jewish or not. either you have converted into it or your mother is jewish. i think western civilization just does this percentage jewish thing because it is somehow trendy to be part of a certain religion. like madonna with her mysticism or tom cruise and scientology.

quote:Originally posted by postdiluvium:

i think people mistakenly make jew synonymous with israelite. not the israel of today, but israel the patriarch of the original nomadic jewish tribes.

there really is no such thing as being a quarter jew or half jew. you are either jewish or not. either you have converted into it or your mother is jewish. i think western civilization just does this percentage jewish thing because it is somehow trendy to be part of a certain religion. like madonna with her mysticism or tom cruise and scientology.

agrees

And Richard Gere.

I always just figured with how many times they've been misplaced in history,some jews would atleast start calling themselves exclusively jewish because of no true stability in living surroundings & the such.Let's take someone who's been in a massive diaspora of sorts,such as WW2,& was forced to evacuate because of whatever reason.They didn't have thier citizenship to that particular motherland no more,but they did have thier religion to hold on to.So they kept it at that.

My honest opinion,whereever those people move off to,they should call themselves a part of that country & drop the jew part altogether to make things less confusing.Who wants to know or really gives a shit to that your great grandparent was a part of something you may/want not to be into?

* opens oven *



No im kidding, i'm not sure i always wondered the same question.

quote:Originally posted by yep:

Both. Most Jews originated from the same place.

Lol, I read that as "Outer space."

I'm going to have to say religion. Just because Jews share some cultural attributes does not make them an ethnicity. Catholics share cultural attributes doesn't make them an ethnic group.

Now Jewish subgroups like Ashkenazi and Sephardic are another story. They do qualify as ethnic groups.

Judaism = religion

Jewish = nation

Ashkenazi/Sephardic/Mizrahi = ethnicity

Both.

You must be a blood Jew to convert to Judaism and be a "true" Jew.

quote:Originally posted by Encrypted Soldier:

Both.

You must be a blood Jew to convert to Judaism and be a "true" Jew.

I know this Jewish guy who came here and married a white chick. She had to convert in order for their sons to be Jewish. So I don't think that's right.

quote:Originally posted by postdiluvium:

i think people mistakenly make jew synonymous with israelite. not the israel of today, but israel the patriarch of the original nomadic jewish tribes.

there really is no such thing as being a quarter jew or half jew. you are either jewish or not. either you have converted into it or your mother is jewish. i think western civilization just does this percentage jewish thing because it is somehow trendy to be part of a certain religion. like madonna with her mysticism or tom cruise and scientology.

why is it that you are considered a full jew is only your mom is jewish? what if only your father is jewish and your mother isn't?

almost any jew you see now originated from eastern europe. that includes the overwhelming majority of jews in israel. Khazars.

as for the original question, i think its more of an identity. i say this because jews who turn fully atheist still identify with jews of almost any stripe.

when your last names goldberg or rosenblatt, your a jew whether you practice or not.

quote:Originally posted by Nihilist:

almost any jew you see now originated from eastern europe. that includes the overwhelming majority of jews in israel. Khazars.



Wrong. That is an anti-Semitic myth that is meant to delegitmize the Jew's claim to Israel.

Ashkenazi Jews can trace their DNA to their ancestors in the Middle East. In the ultimate irony, their DNA origins are the same as the Palestinians and Syrians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews#DNA_clues http://tinyurl.com/h5jry

My father's a jew and his last name is Newman but that doesn't make everyone with the last name Newman a jew.

quote:Originally posted by Dissed:

My father's a jew and his last name is Newman but that doesn't make everyone with the last name Newman a jew.

Hello, Newman.

quote:Originally posted by McLaren:

I know this Jewish guy who came here and married a white chick. She had to convert in order for their sons to be Jewish. So I don't think that's right.

Use your brain.

It was for the son.

She took on Judaism only so the son (50% Jew) would feel at home.

In no way is she considered part of the Jewish Nation, especially among native Judeans.

quote:Originally posted by AeroDynamic:

Wrong. That is an anti-Semitic myth that is meant to delegitmize the Jew's claim to Israel.

Ashkenazi Jews can trace their DNA to their ancestors in the Middle East. In the ultimate irony, their DNA origins are the same as the Palestinians and Syrians.

h ttp://en.w ikipedia.o rg/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jews#DNA_clues (http: //en.wikip edia.org/w iki/Ashken azi_Jews#D NA_clues) http://tinyurl.com/h5jry [/B]

They have the same DNA because they originated from the same region... For example, all Eastern Europeans, Slavs, Germanics, Illyrians, Greeks, and Magyars contain the same DNA, even though they are from different ethnic backgrounds.

The Jews on the other hand are in no way Israelites. Why? Look at the name "Askhenazi Jews!" Askhenaz was the son of Japheth, he wasn't the descendent of Shem, Abraham, or later Jacob (Israel). That's according to the Five Books of Moses (aka Torah) at least. So technically, the Jews aren't even Semites (descendents of Shem) but Japhethites!

[This message has been edited by Encrypted Soldier (edited 07-18-2006).]

quote:[b]

Ashkenazi Jews can trace their DNA to their ancestors in the Middle East. In the ultimate irony, their DNA origins are the same as the Palestinians and Syrians. [/b

How is that an 'ultimate irony'? Their disputes are political, cultural and religious, genes don't mean jack shit.

quote:Originally posted by shuu:

How is that an 'ultimate irony'? Their disputes are political, cultural and religious, genes don't mean jack shit.

Because of the way Israel treates people based on race?

As far as I can see it:

Jews consider themselves a race.

Everyone else considers it a religion.

I consider it a religion because you can convert to Judaism without being related to Moses by blood. There's black Jews and Asian Jews and what not, so how can being Jewish be a race? I just don't see how something you can convert to can be a race.

Also, aren't there only like 3 "real" races in the world? Like angloids, negroids, and mongloids and all ethnic groups are just a giant genetic mixup of the 3?