What is a Jew?

Practicing Jews  (Maurycy Gottlieb)

There are many jokes about "reformed" this or that (name your religion), which imply that once a person stops practicing that faith, then he or she is no longer a bona fide member.

But Judaism seems to be treated more as a race, nationality or culture than as a religion.  If a person's DNA shows a small percentage of "so-called" Jewish heritage, then that person is sometimes deemed to be "part Jewish."

So what does that mean?  A cynic might wonder whether practicing three out of the Ten Commandments makes you "part Jewish."  Perhaps observing half of the monthly Sabbaths makes you even more so...

Every religion has its cultural components, and that's only natural.  But when worldly components define the very essence of religion, heresy could be next.  And when religion is confused with genetics, persecution might soon follow.                      

Resources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/10/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-reveals-jewish-ancestry-hanukkah-celebration/?utm_term=.5b98065e26bd

Copyright December 10, 2018 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved