Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism

Who is a Jew? (Hebrew: ?מיהו יהודי) is the name of the religious, social and political debate on the exact definition of which person can be called Jewish. As Judaism shares some of the characteristics of a nation, a religion, an ethnicity, and a culture, the definition of who is a Jew may vary, depending on whether a religious, sociological, or national approach to identity is used. "Who is a Jew?" has also become a well-known rhetorical question within Judaism, referring to a cultural and religious battle to define who ...

Including:

• Who is a Jew? - Perspectives
• Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community
• Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies
• Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions
• Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel
• Who is a Jew? - The controversy
• Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes
• Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions
• Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective
• Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism
• Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith
• Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism
• Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel
• Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews
• Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce
• Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality
• Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views
• Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity
• Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew
• Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers
• Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches
• Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition
• Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia - Who is a Jew?

For the most part, a Jewish identity has been seen as a religious question stemming specifically from the Torah and Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) as a whole. As a result, religious authorities, namely scholarly rabbis, have traditionally taken the responsibility of determining the criteria for being a Jew. Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective. According to the traditional Rabbinic view, which is maintained by all branches of Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism today, only Halakha ("Jewish law ...

See also:

Who is a Jew?, Who is a Jew? - Perspectives, Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community, Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies, Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions, Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel, Who is a Jew? - The controversy, Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes, Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions, Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective, Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith, Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel, Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews, Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce, Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality, Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views, Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity, Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew, Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers, Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches, Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition, Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia II - Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions

The traditional European definition of Jewishness (although it was not evenly distributed across Europe - the least developed European countries were almost always more prone to see the Jews in racial terms) differs markedly from the American progressive definition. In the former USSR, "Jew" was a nationality or ethnicity de jure all the way to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today laws concerning Jewishness are unwelcome and unethical almost anywhere in the world, but of course de facto the situation remains. In fact, the European definition is traditional in many respects, and reflects not o ...

See also:

Who is a Jew?, Who is a Jew? - Perspectives, Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community, Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies, Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions, Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel, Who is a Jew? - The controversy, Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes, Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions, Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective, Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith, Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel, Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews, Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce, Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality, Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views, Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity, Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew, Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers, Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches, Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition, Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia II - Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition

There have been other attempts to determine Jewish identity beside the traditional approaches given above. These range from genetic population studies (see Y-chromosomal Aaron) to controversial evolutionary perspectives (see Kevin B. MacDonald, Yuri Slezkine). Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew. Although there are many reasons that the definition of Jewishness is important within the Jewish community, the question of "Who is a Jew?" has often been used by anti-Semites as precur ...

See also:

Who is a Jew?, Who is a Jew? - Perspectives, Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community, Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies, Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions, Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel, Who is a Jew? - The controversy, Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes, Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions, Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective, Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith, Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel, Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews, Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce, Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality, Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views, Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity, Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew, Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers, Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches, Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition, Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia II - Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity

The situation in Israel is somewhat ambiguous. Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews. One area where the traditional definition of Jew is not followed by the Israeli governement is in deciding who qualifies to make aliyah ("emigrate [to Israel]") and acquire citizenship under the Law of Return. The requirements here differ significantly from the definition of a Jew under halakha, in permitting anyone with only one Jewish grandparent, or as non-Jewish sp ...

See also:

Who is a Jew?, Who is a Jew? - Perspectives, Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community, Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies, Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions, Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel, Who is a Jew? - The controversy, Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes, Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions, Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective, Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith, Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel, Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews, Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce, Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality, Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views, Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity, Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew, Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers, Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches, Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition, Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia II - Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel

The traditional definition of a Jew is "someone born to a Jewish mother or who has converted to Judaism." The requirement for a valid conversion is that the candidate for conversion understand the obligations of being a Jew, show commitment to fulfilling these obligations, (for a male) to undergo Brit milah (ritual circumcision) or one of its exceptions, perform immersion in a mikvah, and satisfy the scrutiny of a Beit din, or rabbinical court. The beit din act not only as judges but as witnesses in the course of conversion, and it follows that its members must be kosher ...

See also:

Who is a Jew?, Who is a Jew? - Perspectives, Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community, Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies, Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions, Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel, Who is a Jew? - The controversy, Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes, Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions, Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective, Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith, Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel, Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews, Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce, Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality, Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views, Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity, Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew, Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers, Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches, Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition, Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia II - Who is a Jew? - The controversy

Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community. Within Judaism, if a child is born to one Jewish and one gentile parent, the child may not automatically be considered a Jew. If the mother is Jewish, so is the child, but if only the father is Jewish, most Jewish traditions do not consider the child a Jew. A non-Jewish child will not be accepted in religious congregations or enter into a Jewish marriage. Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies. Members of most secular societies accept someone as a Jew if they say they are, absent knowledge that they a ...

See also:

Who is a Jew?, Who is a Jew? - Perspectives, Who is a Jew? - Within the Jewish community, Who is a Jew? - In liberal secular societies, Who is a Jew? - In societies with race laws or traditions, Who is a Jew? - In modern Israel, Who is a Jew? - The controversy, Who is a Jew? - Three basic disputes, Who is a Jew? - Religious definitions, Who is a Jew? - Traditional Halakhic perspective, Who is a Jew? - Perspective of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Jews who have practiced another faith, Who is a Jew? - Conversion to Judaism, Who is a Jew? - Definitions in the State of Israel, Who is a Jew? - Israeli rules for aliyah creates Israelis but not Jews, Who is a Jew? - Israeli laws governing marriage and divorce, Who is a Jew? - Israeli definition of nationality, Who is a Jew? - Secular Israeli views, Who is a Jew? - Other approaches to Jewish identity, Who is a Jew? - Anti-Semitism and the definition of Jew, Who is a Jew? - Views of secular philosophers, Who is a Jew? - Sociological and anthropological approaches, Who is a Jew? - Non-religious ethnic definition, Who is a Jew? - Half-Jewish

Read more here: » Who is a Jew?: Encyclopedia II - Who is a Jew? - Perspectives