Quote:
Originally Posted by TomC
They're not part of the ethnic group. It's got a two-fold meaning according to Wiki.
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We need Livia in here
But this is what a Jewish person on yahoo answered :
Best Answer: We literally keep telling people this (at least 10 times a day), but just get ignored. Everyone else seems to want to define what Judaism is, instead of allowing people who are actually Jewish to define themselves and explain.
Judaism IS a religion and it definitely isn't a race like some have suggested. There are Jews of ALL races the world over.
Judaism HAS distinct ethnic groups in itself, but that does not make the entire group an ethnicity. Ashkenazic (German or Eastern European), Sephardic (Spain and Portugal), Mizrahim (Middle Eastern, North African) and smaller subgroups exist.
These include: Indian Jews (Bene Israel), Romaniotes (Greece), Italian and Chinese Jews. The customs are different, so are the base languages as a whole etc..
The reason people make these distinctions is for one of two reasons 1) Antisemitism (easier to hate people who are separate from you)
2) To make claims that one can be Jewish while being a Christian
To clear up the 'who is Jewish' thing: Someone is Jewish one of two ways (according to Judaism):
A) Their mother is Jewish: If someone takes up another belief they are an apostate. Should they *want* to return to Judaism, they wouldn't have to convert back into the religion, but apostasy implies a number of things, like not being buried in a Jewish cemetery for example.
B) One converts into the religion: Judaism doesn't proselytize (because we understand that it's not for everyone), but if someone wants to convert, by all means they are welcome to.
Source(s):
~Jewish
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...4220051AANEwK2