What does it mean to be Jewish?

Question

Please take no offense at any of my questions. I am not here to bash anyone...only to learn. Yesterday, in answer to a question I realized that there are Jews of all race and nationality. I should have realized this (it's obvious that there would be), but I just always pictured all Jews as a single ethnic group for some reason (semitic, etc.). So, my first question is as follows...

I realize that some people convert to Judaism, but other than that...what makes someone Jewish? For instance, if your mother is Jewish then are you Jewish? If your father is Jewish then are you Jewish?

I am trying to understand the difference between being Jewish ethnically as opposed to religiously.

Thanks ahead of time for any answers I receive and have a great day.

Answer 1

You are Jewish if you are born Jewish, or if you convert to Judaism according to Jewish law.

Answer 2

Judaism is a religion and as a religion, has certain laws, and also, certain range of "observance" among adherents.

According to Orthodox TOrah law, Judaism can be passed matrilineally or a non-Jew can undergo a rigorous conversion process and become Jewish and then pass it matrilineally.  For this reason, you have Jews from every culture -- intermarriage between a Jewish woman and a non-Jewish man still brings about Jewish children and a convert from another "race" is a 100% Jew and the next generations are Jewish so we have a wider ethnic pool of Jews that way.

Reform Judaism accepts patrilineal descent as a way of being considered Jewish but this is a hotly debated topic.

These markers of religion are matters of birth (for the born Jew) and not belief. A Jew who does not practice or believe in his religion is still bound by the law he rejects. If he embraces another faith he may be cut off from the community in terms of certain religious rights, but is still inherently "Jewish."

------------------------

"if a Jewish woman has children with a non-Jewish man then the children will be 100% Jewish? And their daughters children will also be 100% Jewish, etc. on down the line? If so, then would it be correct to assume that there are many more "Jewish" people in the world than it appears? Many that would not even know it?"

as it passes matrilineally, yes, the daughters stay jewish and their children who might not even know it are jewish. and because you cannot convert out in a strict sense, a woman who converts to another religion still has Jewish children. There could be more jewish people in the world possibly.

Answer 3

If you ask me I just "upgraded " to Christianity and it's a mighty fine feeling.

I feel kinda free inside, you know what I mean?

I do not hate anyone or anything, it just feels more ....secure.

To be honest I feel that this big cross I'm wearing actually protects me from evil or bad luck.

I don't know, I just feel great.

So, to answer your question:

Being a Jew meant nothing to me. Absolutely nothing.

Greetings from Salerno, Sicily.

Shalom

Answer 4

jewish is people of a religion that their prophrt was muses,

Answer 5

You asked a 2nd question of Rosends.  Yes, our eternal Covenant with God passes from mother to daughter.  If it passed through DNA, then children of Jewish fathers would also be Jews.

A Covenant is a contract or testament implying obligations from two parties.  God will make His people a mighty nation, but we are obligated to His 613 commandments from Mt. Sinai.  If one converts to Judaism, they become a part of that contract by embracing those conditions.

About the only time it would be necessary to "prove" one's ancestry would be when immigrating to Israel.  In that case the child would need some kind of proof that the mother was indeed Jewish -- perhaps a birth or marriage certificate.  

.