Reply to PSA: Jews are a racial group

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So if I tell you I'm Jewish, it means nothing until we get into a huge debate about what kind of Jew I am, or am not.

Sounds ridiculous.

[/quote]

I am not Jewish, although the DNA does say I'm 4% . . .

I also have two good Jewish friends - one who's secular and "cultural" and the other who's fairly conservative.  My conservative pal will say that there are levels of acceptance among Jewish folks as to who's actually [i]really [/i]Jewish.

So yes, PP, you are being judged on level of religiosity.[/quote]

It’s not  levels of religiosity, it’s how Jewish you are. It isn’t everyone, but for some people if you’re not Ashkenazi or Sephardic by background (which represents about 90% of Jews) you’re not really Jewish. It isn’t fair but the perception is definitely prevalent. At my synagogue, if someone converts from Christianity, we accept them but think it’s a little weird. Again, not fair, but I’m just being honest here.[/quote]
How long is the conversion process?[/quote]

It’s extensive and traditionally a rabbi is supposed to reject your request to convert twice before letting you start the process. The idea is that you’re supposed to be very committed to it. Once you start, there’s a lot of studying involved. Being an adult in the Jewish community requires a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, which means you need to lead at least the Torah service (sometimes more, but at least that). So you have to learn how to sing all the prayers in Hebrew, as well as the weekly Torah and Haftorah portions. Typically you’ll also be delivering some sort of personal interpretation of those passages too. It takes a good few years for Jewish kids to prep for it, though I suppose a committed adult might be able to do it more quickly.

I will also point out that among traditional Conservative congregations and all Orthodox ones, if your mother and her family isn’t Jewish, you aren’t Jewish and have to convert. That’s because traditionally Judaism is an ethnoreligious community where your ancestry really matters. This is less so in Reform and more lenient Conservative congregations. [/quote]
Sounds like tribalism[/quote]

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