Re: Jews/Religion or Ethnic

[Andy Carvin <acarvin@GLOBALSCHOOLHOUSE.COM>]

>
> Kevin wrote:
> "Are Jews an ethnic group or a religious group?"
>
> Kevin Dellit
> kdellit@colosys.net


Well, it really depends on whom you ask. Many American Jews (including
myself) regard themselves as both a religious group and an ethnic group.
We're a religious group because we believe in the tenets of Judaism, but
we're an ethnic group because we're bound together by cultural and
linguistic customs to which we can all relate. But I'd also argue that
we're many ethnic groups. The majority of US Jews (again, like
myself) descend from Eastern European Jews (Ashkenazim), so many of the
cutural traits we share - foods, holiday traditions, Yiddish expressions,
etc. - are directly linked to that Eastern European heritage. But there
are diverse communities of Jews around the world - Yemeni Jews, Ethiopian
Jews, Persian Jews, Cochin Jews (from Kerala, India), Chinese Jews (from
Kaifeng), etc. Because these diverse groups have developed their own
unique, rich traditions over the centuries, our ethnicity has
diversified too. American Ashkenaz Jews can relate to each other's history
easily, but we have less in common with Ethiopian or Yemeni Jews apart
from basic religious beliefs and genetic similarity. We still feel a
spiritual bond with them, but ethnically, we have very different cultural
traditions.

So IMHO, we Jews are a religion, but we are many ethnic groups too. But
it's a debate that will go on for a long time, I imagine... -ac


****************************************************
Andy Carvin                         Senior Associate
                               The Benton Foundation

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