Judaism: Race, Religion or Both

Question

I understand what it means to be Jewish if you believe in Judaism, but can you have Jewish blood even if you don’t believe in Judaism or the Jewish holy books? Is it possible to separate the race from the religion, or do they go hand in hand?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Judaism is hard to define. On the one hand a Jew is defined as one born to a Jewish mother, but there are many races within that definition, all having common ancestry. Also, the fact that one can become Jewish through conversion, no matter what race they are from, shows that it is not purely racial. Probably it would be more correct to define us as a nation.

    In any event, Judaism teaches that a person is Jewish because their mother is Jewish, and their Jewish status is not impacted by whether they believe in Judaism or if they keep the commandments.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team