Judiasm... a religion or a race???

[dgmodel]

Ignorance and lack of common sense is an insidious and widespread problem of the human race. It’s a trait humanity shares with the rest of the animal kingdom, whose means of survival are reactionary, prone to generalization, and opportunistic to their well being. Of course, it is this rudimentary behavior schema that in part characterizes us as curious and ingenious specie, while at the same time conservative enough to grasp on to beliefs and notions that have long been disproved by rational and determined observation.

Judaism as a race is one of these established axioms, a concept that was first used by oppressors of the Jewish people to rationalize and define the differences and thereby threats that such people pose. It then, evolved naturally into a characteristic that Jewish people would use to define themselves, in what is a classic psychology text book example of role identification.

It is then, by this “established axiom†that religious and political opportunists sought to conquer and eradicate the Jewish “race†on numerous times during the course of modern history, and ended failing at every attempt. Is it because the enemies of the Jewish people were inefficient and incompetent in realizing their goal? Not necessarily, the task at hand was of colossal proportions based arguable physical and cultural traits, in the end it would often come down to the question how can you really be sure that a person is a “Jewâ€.

Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire had emerged as an entity containing three states: Latin Christendom of the Western Europe, Byzantium (Orthodox Christians) of the East, and Pagan sects of the North and Central Europe. With time and cultural evolution, Europe began to develop into a nation state continent. Nation-states waged war on other nations and practiced assimilation of other cultures and thus their genes, but this was limited, outweighing assimilation was cultural growth and competition between nation states, otherwise known as nationalism. Nationalism, imperialism, competition, growth , accomplishment and rationalization of growth and accomplishment polarized the European continent. By 18th century, at the height of Enlightenment Age, every European country had its own unique identity, characterized by its own specific culture, language, unique history, customs, and most importantly physical identity. French were easily identified for their Frankish noses and crude physical characteristics, Germans were known for their tall stature, blond hair and blue eyes, Ukrainians were identified by their black hair and green eyes, Italians were known for their short stature and dark features, inevitably the nationalities became so unique, that a European person would be able to easily tell whether another European was a German or a Pollack, or a Frenchman or a Spaniard. This phenomenon warrants us to claim with confidence that indeed out of the nation-state based Europe, emerged the national races; i.e. the German race, the Russian race etc. Did the Jews exhibit the same characteristics? Unfortunately for their enemies, they did not.

The Diaspora of Jews from Judea, with the Roman Empire, Persian conquests, Arab invasions, and Ottoman imperialism, had thrown the Jews into different parts of the world, where they assimilated either voluntarily or either out of necessity. Centuries passing many different Jewish sects developed; Iranian Jews, Sephardi: Jews – Marranos, New Christians, North African Jews, Balkan Jews, German Jews, Ashkanazis: Greek Jews , Turkish Jews, Bessarabian Jews, Russian Jews, and Bukharian Jews. Each one of these sects while residing in their location: had assimilated and intermixed with the local populace; The Sephardis Hebrew had transformed into Ladino, their old traditions fell out of favor, and they quickly adapted to the Spanish/Portugal life style, they had and have dark features, similar to Spaniards and North Africans. The Iranian Jews, although keeping to the old traditions, have also slowly but surely mixed with their surrounding environment, how else would you explain that Sephardi don’t look like Iranian jews?. The Ashkanazis too, intermingled as they moved out into areas of what is now former Soviet Union. In the end, after sixteen some centuries, the result of the Jewish Diaspora has had profound phenotypical effects on people of the Jewish faith. Ashkanazi Jews who speak Yiddish, have their roots in 14th and 15th century imperial German cities, most have the rounded facial features of the German people, while others sport blue eyes and blond hair. Or perhaps the Ahkanazi Jews of Bessarabia with their tanned Moldovian appearance from intermixing with the Transylvanian Peninsula? How about Ashkanazi Jews of Salonika (Thesalonika) Greece though years of Greek, Ottoman, Austrian occupation cannot be distinguished from the underlying converted Slavic-Hellenistic-Turkish background, and what about Bukharian jews? Do they in any way resemble the Sephardis or Ashkanazis? But are they not Jewish?, indeed what is the Jewish race?.

As I’ve stated before, the enemies of Jews would have more luck exterminating other National-races, then they would have exterminating the Jews, because there is no Jewish race, no single physical characteristic which would mark you as Jewish. A white European Russian Jew who prides himself of his Jewish heritage and claims that he is of the Jewish race will inevitably have to accept in his mind, that while American Jews don’t look like him, they are Jews as well, and that the Brazilian Jews(Sephardi) don’t look like him, but they are Jews too….and the Bukharians and the Iranians, and the Israeli Jews and on and on and on.

It seems at the end of this essay, that the very topic is ludicrous, how can someone in his rational mind, ever be so confident to claim that all people of a particular faith can be grouped under one race. As if to say a particular belief and frame of mind then predisposes one to certain physical traits. However all said and done, the problem remains and persists in part because of Anti-Jewish sentiments need to ground and define what exactly it is they are persecuting and hating, and more importantly the Jews who are critiqued and criticized as being of a race, find enjoyment and peace of mind, that indeed perhaps they are a race , they are unique and they are special...

[vixengirly]

o lord, i grew up in the most populated city of jews anywhere....i cant tell u how many hours my friends and i have spent arguing with our jewish friends...it never ends....

[sassa]

jews are semites...so are arabs...they are from the semitic race.....

[dgmodel]

i never saw in my life anywhere on an application, at the dmv, etc. where it said select your race, and it never gave jewish or semite as an option...

[sassa]

Originally posted by dgmodel

i never saw in my life anywhere on an application, at the dmv, etc. where it said select your race, and it never gave jewish or semite as an option...

of course. because jews are considered to be white/caucasian....

[dgmodel]

exactly which is a race...

[Ruph]

Originally posted by sassa

of course. because jews are considered to be white/caucasian....

not all (eg. Ethiopian Jews)..but a majority probably

[sassa]

Originally posted by Ruph

not all (eg. Ethiopian Jews)..but a majority probably

yes, but they also mixed in with the local population...and sephardic jews look very middle eastern...the ashkenazi ones are the ones who aren't really from the region...they descend from the khazars...who had a kingdom in present day southern russia and adopted judaism a millenia ago...

[Ruph]

The unique history of the Jewish nation makes it hard to classify all Jews to belong to a certain race. Obviously, all Jews don't belong to a single race...instead, I would say that Jews are a nation.

[dgmodel]

Originally posted by Ruph

I would say that Jews are a nation.

i would say theyre a religion...

[Ruph]

Originally posted by dgmodel

i would say theyre a religion...

The Jewish people above all are a nation, just like they were a nation sharing the same religion more than 2000 years ago. More than 2000 years ago the Jews shared the same land (Israel/Judea), the same language (Hebrew), and the same customs.

Throughout the last 2000 years, the Jews have lived outside of Israel/Judea, and therefore spoke hundreds of different languages and adopted different customs. But they still remained a nation never forgetting of their roots (their land, language, etc.). And that is why you see just some 50 years ago a state of Israel was formed...because Jews believed that they are a nation needing a common land, language, and customs.

[sassa]

Originally posted by Ruph

The Jewish people above all are a nation, just like they were a nation sharing the same religion more than 2000 years ago. More than 2000 years ago the Jews shared the same land (Israel/Judea), the same language (Hebrew), and the same customs.

Throughout the last 2000 years, the Jews have lived outside of Israel/Judea, and therefore spoke hundreds of different languages and adopted different customs. But they still remained a nation never forgetting of their roots (their land, language, etc.). And that is why you see just some 50 years ago a state of Israel was formed...because Jews believed that they are a nation needing a common land, language, and customs.

like yiddish...a dialect mixed with hebrew/german/etc...

but one also cannot deny that they come from the same group of people as the arabs do...they are more similar to each other than they would like to admit...