PSA: Jews are a racial group

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did I say Slavic points to a country? Many Russians are Slavs, but some are Jewish (really Ashkenazi, mostly) or Tatar or other ethnicities.

Being Polish CAN be an ethnicity, but it’s also a nationality. He has Jewish ancestry. What’s the problem with saying so?

Jewish ancestry can either your faith and/or race, but not your ethnicity or nationality. Agreed?

It’s not a race (OP was wrong) but it is an ethnicity and can be a genetic group (Ashkenazi).

No, it's not an ethnicity. It's a religion.

Its a religious civilization - Mordechai Kaplan, for the win!

It's "a people."

Like all religious groups.

[Anonymous]

Who cares????

I can't believe I even skimmed this debate.

Really????

Why do Jews insist on making the religion so exclusive?

There's not enough to go around as it is.

I say, the more, the merrier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares????

I can't believe I even skimmed this debate.

Really????

Why do Jews insist on making the religion so exclusive?

There's not enough to go around as it is.

I say, the more, the merrier.

Well said. Why try so hard to make yourselves so exclusive? How is this beneficial?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remember when Julianna Marguiles was on a Find Your Roots episode on PBS?
They did the DNA test on her and the result was 99.9% Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. She excitedly said, "super Jew!"

That's a pretty funny response, TBH.

- Ashkenazi Jew

It was! It's very nice that she's proud of her heritage.

In case any of you wonders, there's no person alive whose DNA says he/ she is 99.9% African American or Hispanic.

So, yes, that 99.9% would be quite remarkable.

Mine said the same thing (99.9 -- Ashkenazi Jewish). My husband had 1% or 2% Irish in addition to his 98% Ashkenazi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares????

I can't believe I even skimmed this debate.

Really????

Why do Jews insist on making the religion so exclusive?

There's not enough to go around as it is.

I say, the more, the merrier.

Well said. Why try so hard to make yourselves so exclusive? How is this beneficial?

It's the practicing Jews on this thread arguing AGAINST the genetic component. Anyone can join -- come on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares????

I can't believe I even skimmed this debate.

Really????

Why do Jews insist on making the religion so exclusive?

There's not enough to go around as it is.

I say, the more, the merrier.

Well said. Why try so hard to make yourselves so exclusive? How is this beneficial?

It's the practicing Jews on this thread arguing AGAINST the genetic component. Anyone can join -- come on!

Yes, it is the practicing Jews who are objecting, and can you not understand why?

It's not just a numbers game. There is no benefit to Judaism for people who are practicing Christians, who believe Jesus was the son of G-d, who go to Mass and take communion, to call themselves "Jewish" because they discover that they have Ashenazi genetics from some long-ago ancestors. It weakens what it really means to be Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares????

I can't believe I even skimmed this debate.

Really????

Why do Jews insist on making the religion so exclusive?

There's not enough to go around as it is.

I say, the more, the merrier.

Well said. Why try so hard to make yourselves so exclusive? How is this beneficial?

It's the practicing Jews on this thread arguing AGAINST the genetic component. Anyone can join -- come on!

You have no clue who's arguing what here.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I’m not trying to make Judaism exclusive. Want to become Jewish? Awesome, welcome!

I’m arguing there’s an ethnicity component to it that CAN have a genetic component. It doesn’t HAVE to and it doesn’t make you more Jewish if you have it, but it exists.

being Jewish can mean you engage with one or more of the following:

The religion
The culture
The ancestry (if you’re Ashkenazi or another Jewish genetic subgroup)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. I’m not trying to make Judaism exclusive. Want to become Jewish? Awesome, welcome!

I’m arguing there’s an ethnicity component to it that CAN have a genetic component. It doesn’t HAVE to and it doesn’t make you more Jewish if you have it, but it exists.

being Jewish can mean you engage with one or more of the following:

The religion
The culture
The ancestry (if you’re Ashkenazi or another Jewish genetic subgroup)

Sorry, no. If you go to Mass, take communion, celebrate Jesus as the son of G-d (and believe it necessary for salvation), and/or wear a cross, you are not "being Jewish" simply because of some long-ago ancestors.

[Anonymous]

My DH was raised Christian (his Jewish grandparents converted) but is 49% Ashkenazi. The grandma who converted escaped the Holocaust and the rest of her family remained Jewish. It’s a big part of his family's identity and history. So for him it would be yes to the race part but no to the religion part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. I’m not trying to make Judaism exclusive. Want to become Jewish? Awesome, welcome!

I’m arguing there’s an ethnicity component to it that CAN have a genetic component. It doesn’t HAVE to and it doesn’t make you more Jewish if you have it, but it exists.

being Jewish can mean you engage with one or more of the following:

The religion
The culture
The ancestry (if you’re Ashkenazi or another Jewish genetic subgroup)

Sorry, no. If you go to Mass, take communion, celebrate Jesus as the son of G-d (and believe it necessary for salvation), and/or wear a cross, you are not "being Jewish" simply because of some long-ago ancestors.

Yes you are. It’s the difference between practicing Judaism and being Jewish (if even partially, depending on your genetic background). Are you familiar with the Jewish ethnicity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH was raised Christian (his Jewish grandparents converted) but is 49% Ashkenazi. The grandma who converted escaped the Holocaust and the rest of her family remained Jewish. It’s a big part of his family's identity and history. So for him it would be yes to the race part but no to the religion part.

That’s exactly my point. Lots of people on this thread want to deny that such an identity and history exist. They don’t understand that Jewish ethnicity/ancestry and the Jewish religion can be considered as separate things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH was raised Christian (his Jewish grandparents converted) but is 49% Ashkenazi. The grandma who converted escaped the Holocaust and the rest of her family remained Jewish. It’s a big part of his family's identity and history. So for him it would be yes to the race part but no to the religion part.

What about his 1. ethnicity and 2. nationality?
You left those out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve seen this misconception way too many times on this board.

Jews are a racial group. You don’t have to be ethnically Jewish to be Jewish, but Ashkenazi and Sephardic are ethnic identities. You can never practice Judaism and still be Jewish if you have that ethnic background.

Example of one opinion.

[Anonymous]

Another link for those interested:

https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/dna-links-prove-jews-are-a-race-says-genetics-expert-1.5220113