Reply to PSA: Jews are a racial group

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Trying to be so exclusive is offensive to those who are kept out.[/quote]

It’s not exclusive to define yourself as an ethnoreligious group. Not everyone can be a part of every group. Jews don’t proselytize for a reason; we’re happy to be who we are, and don’t feel we need tons and tons of us.

I also agree with PP; most of this thread is hugely offensive to the Jewish people. [/quote]
As in, why dare you question who we think we are?[/quote]

Exactly, actually. If we say, "Hey, you can be Jewish if you engage with one of the following: our religion, our ethnicity/culture, and/or you have certain genetic backgrounds (essentially Ashkenazi or Sephardic)" we would appreciate it if you would just say "ok, cool." We do not appreciate it when you say, "That's horrible/alt-right of you to say! How dare you! You are only a religion and nothing else!"

We're allowed to define what it means to be part of our group. We don't push our criteria on anyone else; in fact, we don't proselytize at all. If you want to be part of our group, you can convert. Those of us who have genetic backgrounds that are Jewish don't need to convert. This is simply how we define what it means to be Jewish. It's how we've defined it for thousands of years. [/quote]
You're also allowed to argue endlessly among yourselves about who is more Jewish than whom.

Is there any sort of "authority" to settle this age old dispute? No.[/quote]
Jews argue. It’s what we do, a piece of evidence that we hold education in high regard. Better to argue from a place of knowledge than sit back and just nod along. One of the most important documents in Judaism, the Talmud, is a collection of learned arguments. [/quote]
Is this why there's no definitive answer to who is Jewish? How is that helpful to anyone? [/quote]

If you mean is there a definitive answer to the question in Jewish law (i am skipping pages of argumentation here)  the authority is the rabbis.  Collectively.   That is how Jewish law works.   On some issues that means different opinions are all valid ORTHODOX Jewish opinions. On some there is a consensus.  There is some disagreement on whether continued disagreement on points of substance is a bug or a feature.

The Orthodox as a general rule do not accept as valid (or needed for consensus) the opinions of Conservative scholars, though Conservative Judaism often looks to the opinions of contemporary Orthodox scholars (it does not consider premodern rabbis to be "orthodox".

Reform Jews have opinions, though until fairly recently they did not accept the notion of "Jewish law"

As for the non halachic meaning - ethnic, cultural what have - anyone can debate that. Because "we live in a free country"  But unlike the halachic issue which affects things like whose wedding a particular rabbi would officiate at,that has no practical implications.

Note in Israel who is a Jew is determined, for internal things (such as marriages) by the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. However for immigration it is determined by the state, which has not always agreed (in particular the state has accepted the immigration under the law of return of people converted to Judaism by Conservative and Reform rabbis, not recognized by the Chief Rabbinate) [/quote]

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