Allie Kilgore

World Religions

Mr. Warwick

November 14, 2017

What Does It Mean to Be Jewish?

Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, teaching the belief in one God. This

religion accepts the belief in one God and the moral teachings of the Hebrew Bible (Old

Testament), which includes the Torah. Judaism is made up of different parts or identities. The

four parts or identities that make up the Jewish identity are religious, ethnic, spiritual and

cultural. The spiritual identity is one who seeks a spiritual base in the modern world by living the Commented [1]: Combine these ideas into one
sentence
life of study, prayer, and daily routine dedicated to the proposition that Jewish wisdom through

the ages will answer the big questions in life. The cultural identity is one who regards the

teachings of Judaism as his or her own. In earlier days, Jewish was an ethnic group but not as

much today because Jews are considered more of a race. A Jew is a member of a group of

people, by birth or by choice, who chooses to share a common cultural heritage, a religious

perspective, and spiritual horizon derived uniquely from Jewish experience and wisdom and a

Jew is also one who accepts the faith of Judaism.

There are many different identities when it comes to being a Jew. As stated earlier, the

ethnic identity of being a Jew is a member of a group of people, by birth or by choice, who

chooses to share a common cultural heritage, a religious perspective, and spiritual horizon

derived uniquely from Jewish experience and wisdom. The spiritual identity means one who

seeks a spiritual base in the modern world by living the life of study, prayer, and daily routine
dedicated to the proposition that Jewish wisdom through the ages will answer the big questions

in life. The cultural identity means one who regards the teachings of Judaism, such as of the

Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), which includes the Torah, as his or her own. The religious

identity is one who accepts the faith of Judaism. The identity of a Jew should be both religious

and ethnic. As it says in the Jewish Virtual Library, “Judaism can be thought of as being

simultaneously a religion, a nationality and a culture”. Commented [2]: Great ideas here - work on making it
flow a little more with transitions
In earlier days, Jewish was an ethnic group but not as much today because Jews are

considered more of a race. But is Judaism really a race? According to the Oxford Dictionaries, a

race is “A group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc.; an ethnic group”.

Harry Ostrer wrote in his book, Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People, “ Jews exhibit,

a distinctive genetic signature”. So according to the definition of a race and the experimenting

that Harry Ostrer has conducted, Judaism would be considered a race. However, Judaism is not

one of the main races, such as White, African American, or Mexican, but Judaism could be

considered a sub race.

In conclusion, a Jew is “a member of the people and cultural community whose

traditional religion is Judaism and who trace their origins through the ancient Hebrew people of

Israel to Abraham”. Spiritual, cultural, religious, and ethical identities make up a Jewish identity.

Judaism is also considered a race by experiments that have been conducted on the DNA of Jews

and can also be considered a race by the definition of a race. All of this information proves that

Jews are a race and can be considered a community and that the true identity of a Jew is a

member of a group of people, by birth or by choice, who chooses to share a common cultural

heritage, a religious perspective, and spiritual horizon derived uniquely from Jewish experience

and wisdom and a Jew is also one who accepts the faith of Judaism. Now you must know this so
you can understand the history of Judaism, to understand what it truly means to be a Jew, and

also know the core concepts of Judaism.

Works Cited

Jdov. “What Does It Mean to Be a Jew in the World?” Haaretz.com, 10 Mar. 2016,

www.haaretz.com/jewish/jewish-world-opinions/1.708092.

“Jew.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/jew?s=ts.

Jon Entine May 07, 2012 10:51 AM, et al. “DNA Links Prove Jews Are a 'Race,' Says

Genetics Expert.” Haaretz.com, 12 Nov. 2014,

www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/dna-links-prove-jews-are-a-race-says-genetics-

expert-1.428664.

“Judaism.” Who Is A Jew?, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/who-is-a-jew.

“Judaism.” Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/are-jews-a-

nation-or-a-religion.

“Race | Definition of Race in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries |

English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/race.