senojekips
Active member
Ahh,, Ethnicity, look it up. Ethnicity is a catchall phrase with little bearing on this debate.
Ethnicity is related to Culture and as such covers almost any group. Those who speak the same language or share a set of beliefs can be said to be of the same ethnicity.
None of which means that Jews are any more than a religion, because of the reasons shown in Judaism 101 part of which is quoted below. http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm
Ethnicity is related to Culture and as such covers almost any group. Those who speak the same language or share a set of beliefs can be said to be of the same ethnicity.
None of which means that Jews are any more than a religion, because of the reasons shown in Judaism 101 part of which is quoted below. http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm
Are Jews a Race?
In the 1980s, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Jews are a race, at least for purposes of certain anti-discrimination laws. Their reasoning: at the time these laws were passed, people routinely spoke of the "Jewish race" or the "Italian race" as well as the "Negro race," so that is what the legislators intended to protect.
But many Jews were deeply offended by that decision, offended by any hint that Jews could be considered a race. The idea of Jews as a race brings to mind nightmarish visions of Nazi Germany, where Jews were declared to be not just a race, but an inferior race that had to be rounded up into ghettos and exterminated like vermin.
But setting aside the emotional issues, Jews are clearly not a race.
Race is a genetic distinction, and refers to people with shared ancestry and shared genetic traits. You can't change your race; it's in your DNA. I could never become black or Asian no matter how much I might want to.
Common ancestry is not required to be a Jew. Many Jews worldwide share common ancestry, as shown by genetic research; however, you can be a Jew without sharing this common ancestry, for example, by converting. Thus, although I could never become black or Asian, blacks and Asians have become Jews (Sammy Davis Jr. and Connie Chung).