Half-Jewish...

[Atlas14]

I keep hearing more an more people nowdays saying they are half-Jewish, or something along those lines, pertaining to some religion or another. How can someone be half-Jewish? It seems to me you are either Jewish or you aren't. Is "Jewish" in this context being used as a cultural/regional label, and not as a relgious one?

 

[garric]

You can be half Jewish because JEWS are an ethnicity as well as a religion.

 

[Tomoyo]

Jewish is a racial term as well as a religious one. Jewish people have certain distinguishable features, the most stereotyped of which is the large nose.

EDIT: Crossposted.

 

[Cromat]

Judaism is both a religion and a nationality/ethnicity.
Saying you are half-jewish is like saying you are half-irish, doesn't necessarily have to with religion, or even culture.

 

[Atlas14]

Oh ok. Clears things up a bit. Thanks

 

[GenMarshall]

Jewish is both a culture and a religious context. If someone is half-Jewish, then one of their parents are eather culturaly and/or religiously Jewish.

Then you get to the complications in regards of "if the Mother is Jewish, then the child is Jewish" as well as "Jew by birth" and "Jew by choice".

 

[sysyphus]

I'm married to someone who was converted to Judaism at a young age by her parents.

What will that make our children?

"if the Mother is Jewish, then the child is Jewish"

I always wondered about that. I guess it means that Judaism is carried on the X chromosome.

 

[garric]

Judaism is carried so long as you have one Jewish grandfather/grandmother aka a grandparent.

 

[GenMarshall]

I'm married to someone who was converted to Judaism at a young age by her parents.

Thats one thing that does not attract me to Judaism. Is that they dont normaly accept converts nor actively proselytize. And if you do convert, its a relivily long process.

Plus I believe that Jesus is the Son of God so Judaism is out of the picture for me .

 

[C~G]

Judaism is carried so long as you have one Jewish grandfather/grandmother aka a grandparent.

What on earth you mean by that?

 

[Dionysius]

<purged.>

 

[sysyphus]

Judaism is carried so long as you have one Jewish grandfather/grandmother aka a grandparent.

Are you sure about that? My father-in-law has no problem with his daughter (my wife) being married to a non-Jew since our children can still be Jewish. But he's none too happy that my brother-in-law has also married a genitle stating their children cannot be Jewish (automatically), so if what you stated above is true, then he shouldn't have a problem.

Plus I believe that Jesus is the Son of God so Judaism is out of the picture for me .

Never heard of Jews for Jesus?

 

[GenMarshall]

Never heard of Jews for Jesus?

I was refering if I considered converting to Orthodox Judaism, not Messianic Judaism .

 

[Israelite9191]

I'm married to someone who was converted to Judaism at a young age by her parents.

What will that make our children?

If someone converts to Judaism, they are concidered to have become part of the Jewish people as well as the Jewish religion. Thus, while a geneticist will disagree, the convert is a descendant of Avraham by Sarah through the line of Yitzchak and Yakov. My father is actually a convert (as an adult, by his own choice, not my mother's) from Catholicism. As far as Jews are concerned, be they Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Hassidic, or whatever he is concidered fully Jewish in blood. In fact, it is concidered a horrible taboo to ever remind someone that they are a convert. Furthermore, King David's own grandmother was a convert!

Judaism is carried so long as you have one Jewish grandfather/grandmother aka a grandparent.

That definition was created by the Nazis and has no basis in whom Jews consider to be Jewish or whom anyone else with any education in the matter considers Jewish. The grandparents rule is ridiculous and should never be concidered to have any bearing.

EDIT:

Never heard of Jews for Jesus?

Messianic Jews are not Jews, they are Christians pretending to be Jews.

 

[GenMarshall]

My father is actually a convert (as an adult, by his own choice, not my mother's) from Catholicism. As far as Jews are concerned, be they Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Hassidic, or whatever he is concidered fully Jewish in blood.

Wait, how can he be fully Jewish in blood and be accepted as a Jew from all spectrum of Jewish Denominations? I thought that if one converts through the Reform Judaism branch, he or she would not be considered a Jew in the Orthodoxy Branch .

 

[Israelite9191]

He converted Orthodox and all branches concider Orthodox conversions acceptable.

 

[GenMarshall]

He converted Orthodox and all branches concider Orthodox conversions acceptable.

Ahh makes much more sense, thanks . I would bet he had to endure a long conversion process as well as tests and trials. I myself would not convert to Orthodox Judaism due because of the following factors:

1. I believe Jesus is the son of God
2. I dont have the paitents to go through the conversion process

 

[drkodos]

Judaism is NOT an ethnicity although it shares some of the characteristics of being one. Semitic is an ethnicity. There is no such thing as a half-jew any more than there is someone who is half-pregnant. Someone claiming to be half jewish is either joking or mis-informed.

 

[garric]

If someone converts to Judaism, they are concidered to have become part of the Jewish people as well as the Jewish religion. Thus, while a geneticist will disagree, the convert is a descendant of Avraham by Sarah through the line of Yitzchak and Yakov. My father is actually a convert (as an adult, by his own choice, not my mother's) from Catholicism. As far as Jews are concerned, be they Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Hassidic, or whatever he is concidered fully Jewish in blood. In fact, it is concidered a horrible taboo to ever remind someone that they are a convert. Furthermore, King David's own grandmother was a convert!


That definition was created by the Nazis and has no basis in whom Jews consider to be Jewish or whom anyone else with any education in the matter considers Jewish. The grandparents rule is ridiculous and should never be concidered to have any bearing.

EDIT:

Messianic Jews are not Jews, they are Christians pretending to be Jews.

Don't call me a Nazi; my grandparents fought in the war to free your people from the Germans and I'd appreciate if you'd show respect to them by not making your claims. I'm sorry but I get emotional to these kind of things.

 

[Jawz II]

Don't call me a Nazi; my grandparents fought in the war to free your people from the Germans and I'd appreciate if you'd show respect to them by not making your claims. I'm sorry but I get emotional to these kind of things.

maybe you should show them proper respect and not repeat nazi doctorine?

oh and the russians didnt fight to free the jews, russians fought for their lives, what you dont think hitler wouldve killed all russians too, had he won WW2?