is Judaism a religion or a nationality?

[burgz]

I'm not trying to be ignorant, I am actually confused about this. I know that Judaism is obviously a religion but aren't people from Jerusalem called Jewish as well regardless of their religion? So technically you can be Jewish but practice another religion? Is this correct?

Thanks

 

[MreSmartypants]

For about 3000 years now, Judaism has been a belief system, a religion. Judaism is the official religion of the modern nation of Israel, but not all Jews live there, so they are not citizens of the nation. Strangely (and perhaps confusingly) the word 'israel' also means the body of Jewish believers around the world.

I see Judaism as an ethnic heritage, a culture, because I don't necessarily believe what Jewish people are supposed to believe. So it is also, you might say, a 'tribal identity'.

 

[MosesSupposes]

It's technically a religion. However Jews do not proselytize. They are a very close knit group. One isn't considered a Jew unless one's mother is Jewish. Thus it can often be considered to refer to a person's heritage. Jews aren't bound only by faith but also by blood.
I don't know about the history of Jerusalem. I thought the term Jewish was mostly used to refer to people who practice the faith of Judaism.

 

[allonyoav]

Judaism is a religion NOT a race. Right from the start there has never been a "pure" Jewish race. Avraham converted people. Yitzchak converted, Yaakob converted people. when the Jews left Egypt we are told the "eruv rave" left with them- these were non-Jews that converted to Judaism after witnessing the events in Egypt. Coincedently, in this weeks Torah portion we learn how others who heard about the events in Egypt and at the red sea came to convert. The most prominent of these (and the one that the portion this week is name dafter) was Yitro, the father-in-law of Moses, who had been the High Priest in Midian and now converted to Judaism. One of the books in the Tanakh is about a convert- Ruth, the Moabitess- and from her story we see converts can be as great as any other- even to the point of meriting to be the ancestress of King david and thus the Mashiach when he arrives!

People from Jerusalem are NOT Jewish, unless they are Jewish in religion from ether being born to a Jewish mother or converting. there are Christians, Muslims, Bahai, Hare Krishnas, Scientologust etc in Jerusalem, none of them are Jewish, but they live in Jerusalem!

As for converting to another religion and remianing Jewish- not possible- the Torah makes it clear in Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 12v43 that a jew who converts to another religion is no longer part of the Jewish community, and through being forbidden to bring the Korban Pesach cut off from G-d in this world and the next!

Is it said that a Jew aways remains Jewish even if they convert to another religion? Yep- but it is actually a statement which is both to the converts benefit and detriment. to their benefit in that they can always repent and return to Judaism (in the past with a conversion, nowadays a mor elenient ruling is usually utilised which allows them to return without converting) but to their detriment as if they d not repent before they die they are judged as apostate Jews in the world to come, and their soul is permanently cut off from G-d and the Jewish nation, in thisworld and the next. While they live, if they have not repented, they are completely cut off from the Jewish community, unable to participate in any fashion whatsoever. When they die, if they have not repented, they cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetary and are not mourned as jews, no Kadish, no shiva, no shloshim or anything else

 

[Sam]

both a religion and a nationality

 

[Steve]

It is both a religion and an ethnicity (nationality is a bit too specific). Or at least there's a Jewish ethnicity that is historically intertwined with Judaism the faith (you really can't separate the two)

There are all kinds of people who do not follow the religion of Judaism, and do not really believe in a God, but who consider themselves Jewish, are considered Jewish by other Jews (even religious ones), and would be welcome to apply as citizens of Israel.

Furthermore, there are specific genetic markers associated with the ethnicity of Judaism, which links Jews worldwide (including African, West European, East European, and Asiatic Jews).

As a religion, though it doesn't really seek converts, there are people who were not Ethnic Jews who have converted to the religion of Judaism.

 

[LethalZ]

It is both.
There is a race of jews.
There is a religion called judaism, whose followers are jews.

However, not all jews follow judaism and not all who practice judaism are jews by race.

 

[EddieJ1]

Part of the confusion is that there is no word for someone who practices Judaism. The term "observant Jew" is commonly although not exclusively used for that.

You are Jewish if your mother was Jewish, or if you convert to the religion of Judaism. In either case, you cannot remain Jewish if you convert to another religion but you do not have to remain observant.

It is not an ethnicity because a Black or Asian can convert to Judaism and he or she would be Jewish.

 

[Audry]

No. Judaism is a religion. The country you're from is your nationality. Jerusalem is the capital of the country of Israel, so people from there are Israeli and may or may not be Jewish.

 

[Eclipselgirl]

Not a nationality, but an ethnicity.

Yes, Judaism is both

 

[dudeman612]

A religion that erroneously gets labeled a nationality or ethnicity.

 

[Kelscie]

It's a religion. And people who practice it are Jewish. It makes no sense if they're Jewish but practice a different religion. And People from Jerusalem aren't necessarily called Jewish unless they are Jewish. It is a Jewish holy city.

 

[IceintheDesert]

Judaism is a religion. It is also a religion which is very exclusive, and for a long, long time dictated its members must marry and mate within their own community. This led to very unique characteristics of Jewish people to the point where Judaism also became an ethnicity.

If you are from Jerusalem you are Israeli. You can be Israeli and Jewish or not, though most are.

 

[Kelscie]

It's a religion. And people who practice it are Jewish. It makes no sense if they're Jewish but practice a different religion. And People from Jerusalem aren't necessarily called Jewish unless they are Jewish. It is a Jewish holy city.

 

[cc1]

Judaism is a religion. Second, people consider themselves culturally Jew because of the culture they were raised in was greatly influenced by Jewish tradition. These people might actually be atheist, but grew up insulated by Judaism so they are culturally Jewish.

It's not a nationality and it's not a race. A good comparison is Catholicism. I grew up Catholic. Though I no longer believe, I still lean a bit as culturally Catholic though I've shed a lot of it. The guilt is the hardest to get rid of.

Hope this helps.

 

[mmamapajamam1]

Too many people are confusing the definition of nation people with nation state. People born in Israel are citizens of a nation State. The State of Israel's citizens are Israelis regardless of religion or lack. A nation people are a people with a shared religion, history, and laws of identity and self-determination. The Torah calls the Jewish people an eternal nation many times. We are a covenant nation people, our covenant with God is eternal. Judaism is a religion alone, but Jewish identity is not determined solely upon the religion of the person even though Judaism is the only religion permissible by Jewish law for Jews. The confusion is understandable because different Christian groups wish to negate the laws that determine Jewish identity so they can claim it for themselves, different empires in the past wished to negate the laws of self-determination that determined Jewish identity so they could eliminate the Jews as a distinct people who had the right of self-determination! White Supremacists wish to hate jews because race is irrelevant to Jewish identity, yet some among their numbers will argue among themselves that Jews are a race like their idol Hitler adopted from the pseudoscientific philosophers of the 1830's who created notions of race and racial superiority for the purpose of colonial conquest and discrimination of many different groups, not just Jews. It was those people who even coined the term antisemitism to refer to hatred of Jews, to make their irrational bigotry sound scientific. It is irrational since Semitic refers to peoples who share a common language base, yet those Jew haters who coined the term claimed it to refer specifically to the Jewish "race" that they deemed inferior in intellect and physiology. They were quite proud of their term and even created an AntiSemitic League ...and its founder Wilhelm Marr is credited with popularizing this term.
A person from Jerusalem is called Jewish ONLY if they are a Jew according to Jewish law. Someone born in Jerusalem would be an Israeli and they may or may not be a Jew. A Jew who practices any other religion other than Judaism has rescinded membership in the Jewish people according to Jewish law. (Jews believe established by God in the Torah) This has been the case since the time of Abraham, Sarah and the very founding of the Jewish people. The Torah designates one a member of the Jewish people if they were born to a Jewish mother or undergo conversion through the religion and acceptance of the covenant of faith. A Jew may not practice Judaism or even believe in God and Jewish law does not consider that as having abandoned membership only because they did not adopt belief forbidden by God (Avodah Zarah)
Please see these past answers to this question that I've given that have received praise from Rabbis of every movement including Rabbis at Ask Moses and Chabad, and one that appeared as a Best of Answers. Note the reputable references I give within the answer and ask any Rabbi to review the information with you if needed. Email me for more references if you'd like.
The fact remains, neither culture or ethnicity determine if one is or isn't a Jew. If one doesn't meet the criteria of Jewish law to be a member, you aren't a member, no matter what your ethnicity.
You can be born into a Jewish community and NOT be a Jew if you were not born to a Jewish mother and did not convert to Judaism. You can know someone is a Jew and nothing else about them and you'd have NO clue what their ethnicity is.but you can know if they are a Jew if they meet LAW http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120521224854AA6bTfl < This is LONG and the other answers and references are even LONGER but I promise it will clear up all confusion if you read it.
One is not practicing Judaism if they are practicing any other religion. If a Jew practices another religion they are apostate to the Jewish people and their religion does not take on the name of Judaism because an apostate Jew who may return through repentance ..follows it.
An atheist is technically sinning according to Jewish law, but has not left the Jewish people and membership in the covenant nation people only because he did not violate the law of forbidden/foreign/false god worship. NO other religion is permissible by Jewish law for Jews. Again..read the references I gave to learn more.
Judaism is a religion. Being a Jew is to be a member of a covenant nation people no matter what nation state (nationality) one is a citizen. I'm a U.S. Citizen. My nationality is American. I'm also a member of the covenant nation, Israel as a Jew.
Am Yisrael Chai

 

[Feivel]

A nationality? Yes. of course that is what it is. I am from the country of "Jew" (insert sarcasm here)

No, Judaism is a religion. Israel is a nation. Jerusalem is the capital of that nation AND in that capital and in the nation of Israel you have non-Jews that live there. They are Israeli xian, Israeli muslim, Israeli druze etc. Over 3//4 of the population is Jewish because it is the Jewish homeland but a xian who is a citizen of Israel is "An Israeli xtian".

If you are Jewish and practice another religion, then Judaism see's you as an apostate.

Jews can be any nationality. There are Canadian Jews, Yemeni Jews, American Jews, British Jews etc. Jews can be any ethnic group. There are Irish Jews, Egyptian Jews, Russian Jews, German Jews, Polish Jews, Japanese Jews, Korean Jews, Chinese Jews etc etc.

I don't think an Israeli like Taleb el-Sana, Ibrahim Sarsur would appreciate you assuming they should be called Jewish. In fact, more muslims live in Israel (as a percentage of the population) than any other non-muslim country on earth.

Judaism is a religion. It is not a nationality (there is no country called "Jew", "Jewish" or "Land of Judaism" and not a ethnicity because you can be Jewish and yet be 100% Swedish.