Related Terms • Judaism

Definition:
The word Jew comes from the Hebrew yehudi through the Greek ioudaios and Latin judaeus. It originally referred to male citizens of the southern kingdom of Judah, who were 'is jehuda, literally "men of Judah."

Today, who is a Jews? The most traditional and orthodox definition of "Jew" is any person whose mother (fathers don't count) was a Jew or any person who has converted to Judaism (what counts as a valid conversion differs from sect to sect).

Some regard Judaism as being a racial question, and this was part of the assumption behind the racial laws in Germany during the 1930s. There are particular genetic commonalities among Jews who can trace their Jewish lineage back a long ways, but that commonality is also shared with other, non-Jewish inhabitants of the region in and around modern-day Israel.

Some regard Judaism as a matter of nationality, especially now that there is a Jewish state of Israel. However, Jews can have any nationality and non-Jews can be Israeli citizens.

Other regard Judaism as being a matter of culture. One of the reasons for focusing on the cultural aspect of Judaism is the fact that many people consider themselves to be Jewish without also being religious. After all, if your mother is Jewish, then you are also Jewish - even if you are are an atheist or a Buddhist. Judaism, as a religion, also involves many cultural aspects beyond mere religious beliefs. For that reason, a person can readily regard herself as culturally Jewish without adhering to any traditional beliefs.

But Judaism is not just a cultural identity, because a person who follows Jewish practices and adopts Jewish beliefs is not a Jew if his mother was not a Jew or if he has not gone through conversion. Thus, Judaism must also be considered, fundamentally, a matter of religious identity as well.

One of the reasons why this debate is so contentious and important is that it involves the state of Israel. Any Jew can automatically become a citizen of Israel, thus deciding who is and is not a Jew becomes a political issue. Orthodox Jews have very rigorous requirements for the process, whereas Reform and Conservative Jews have easier requriements. Thus, Orthodox Jews do not acknowledge the "Jewishness" of anyone who has gone through a Reform or Conservative conversion process. Currently, the political standards in Israel for conversion are the same as those of the Orthodox Jews.

Also Known As: none

Alternate Spellings: none

Common Misspellings: none

Related Resources:

What is Theism?
What is the difference between monotheism and monolatry? Between pantheism and panentheism? How about between animism and shamanism? Or theism and deism? What the heck is henotheism? For that matter, what is and is not a religion?

What is Religion?
A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear.