What exactly is a "jew"?

Question

I see all this stuff on tv about jews
about how a lot were killed in the holocaust
and like ppl will say "oh a was raised in a strict jewish family"
or ill see some and they are wearing those little hats
a lot of famous people comedians and stuff say they are jewish - they just look like regular old white people to me

ive never met a person that said they are jewish - maybe its because i live in the south

im being totally serious - im not trying to be funny or degrading or anything - i hope nobody takes it that way

im just curious about it

Answer 1

A Jew is a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties.



There are many denomiations of Judaism including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform. Most Jews dress like everyone else and you wouldn't be able to tell them from others. The ones wearing hats as you stated are Hasidic. "Hasidim" are ultra-religious and ALWAYS wear black, women wear long skirts and dress very modestly. However, most Jews 'blend-in' so to speak.



While most Jews are from European descent, therefore caucasian, you will find asian & african jews all over the world.



You are right - many Jews were killed in the Holocaust. In fact, 2 out of every 3 European Jews living at the time - about 6 million, were slain by Nazi Germany.

Answer 2

judeism is a religion that predate christianity. Jesus was a Jew. Jewish ppl basically believe in the old testament of the bible (a book that is very similar called the Torah) they are originally made up of the twelve tribes of the holy land (the fertile crescent area around the river jordan that contains jerusalem). they have been persecuted and exiled from a lot of places, taken into slavery, murdered en mass in the colleseum (which they built as slave labour) they identify as a religious and ethnic group and have been scattered all over the world by these various exiles and persecutions. they have often been targets of hate and were hated by a lot of ppl at the time of world war II they were marked for complete removal by the third reich in the "final solution" and had since 1933 been rounded up to concentration camps, then on to death camps in the east or forced to flea with nothing to survive.many others were killed by the nazis, but none in quite the numbers as the jews (the number of russians killed has never and will never be known). in 1948 the jews were given a "homeland" called isreal for those who had been forced to flea and otherwise made refugees after the war and conflict. but that has cause turmoil in the area and created the struggle over the gaza strip as some arabs think they ought to be pushed into the sea. the strict jewish family and the "funny hats" you are referring to are likely hassidic or orthodox jews who follow more traditional faith (similar in ways to some menonites and amish) this was a pretty basic summary you can learn more on wiki or something. also, there is no jewish conspiracy and the holocast was not made up, just in case in not knowing what a jewish person was you may have fallen into believing those kinds of things. you cannot tell a jewish person by their looks. there is a jewish group in africa that are black, but share very specific common alleles with ethnic jews in jerusalem. hope this helps

Answer 3

When Nobel Prize winner Isaac Rabi was asked to what he attributed his success, he said he always remembered that every day when he came home from school his mother would ask him, "Did you ask any good questions today?" What he imbibed was that we ultimately gain more from questions than answers. Answers bring a subject to a close; questions open us up to ever more profound and deeper understanding. That perhaps more than anything else may explain Jewish genius. From youth we explore the Torah, Talmud and commentaries with inquisitive minds encouraged to ask even when no clear response is in sight. To do otherwise would be to imply that our faith cannot withstand scrutiny, that our commitment to God is so tenuous that it is afraid of critical analysis.

In Judaism, we are taught to think, to ask questions, and to be skeptical; we are encouraged not to accept things on faith, but to look for proof. This constitutes one of the biggest differences between Judaism and Christianity. While faith plays a vital role, Judaism places great emphasis on learning and education.

Answer 4

Its probably the oldest surviving religion.

Jews were the people in the Old Testament of the Bible.

Jews currently have their own homeland called Israel.

Jews consist of people descended from seven original tribes.

The little hats are called yamulkes and are worn to cover the top of (a man's) head in a gesture of respect to god.

Jews live everywhere, but fewer elected to live in the south inasmuch as they were not historically treated well in the American south.

Answer 5

...The "word" Jew from the derivative of the title "Jewish" or Judah... a "tribe" of the Hebrew Nations... That "group" of people, chosen of God (YHVH) to be the keepers of the Torah and the Words of the Tanakh (The Bible). There are "12" tribes of the Hebrew Nation... commonly referred to as "Jewish"...

Answer 6

TEN FANTASTIC FACTS ABOUT POLAR BEARS



1) The most famous polar bear in the world is probably Minty, the polar bear that stands astride Fox's Glacier Mints. In his heyday in the 50's Minty got more fan mail than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones together.



2) Polar bears are very sarcastic.



3) When hunting, polar bears cover their noses so that they blend in with the snowy background. They also do this if another polar bear has farted.



4) In 1931 Hollywood was scandalised by Fatty Arbuckle's affair with Fru Fru, a (married) polar bear. Neither Arbuckle nor FruFru's career (she was an ice-dancer) survived the media backlash.



5) Many people assume that polar bears are mammals. They are in fact a form of wingless bird.



6) Just as jews are often blamed for catastrophic events in the global community, so polar bears are often blamed for disaster in the arctic community. Because of this, many polar bears refer to themselves as jewbears.



7) Famous musical polar bears include Jimi Hendrix, Larry Adler, Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Beck and the bloke out of the Corrs.



8) In 1914 the polar bear population of London was 12. It is now 15.



9) Polar bears have the most natural rhythm of all the arctic animals. During spring and summer, polar bears often give salsa and merengue classes to students in North London.



10) If you are very sad and very lonely, and you think hard enough about a polar bear, one will appear beside you.

Answer 7

A Jew can refer to two distinct things.



Judaism is, of course, a religion; it could be said to be the original Abrahamic religion (the religion from which Christianity and Islam are offshoots). It shares what Christians call "The Old Testament" in its holy books. So someone who practices this religion is a Jew.



Also, being Jewish can refer to heritage. It can refer either to the racial heritage characteristic to the nation of Israel, or it can refer to a simple system of lineage where if someone's mother was considered "Jewish," that makes oneself "Jewish."



(The people in "funny hats" you're referring to may be orthodox Jews, or they may be Rabbis, which can be compared to priests or ministers in Christian sects.)

Answer 8

Yahuwdym,(jews) meaning “those who are related to Yah.”

Jesus name is Yahushua, He is the diminished human manifestation of Yahuweh. By knowing, trusting, and relying upon Yahuweh you get salvation and guidance.

The religion of Christianity is based upon the Babylonian sungod religion.

Answer 9

Jews are followers of Judaism. The religion that gave way to Christianity. Jesus was a Jew, King David was a Jew, Noah was a Jew, Abraham was a Jew.

Answer 10

A Jew is one who believes in and is a disciple of Moses and the prophets.



A Hebrew is any descendant of Abraham.



An Israeli is any descendant of Jacob



A Pharisee is any descendant of Levi.



Moses is a descendant of Levi.



Nicodemus is a descendant of Levi



A Sadducee is any descendat of Judah



Joesph was a descendant of Judah



Mary was a descendant of Judah



Jesus was a descendant of Judah



Joesph son of Jacob had no children



Bejamine son of Jacob had no children



Jesus came to bring "salvation is of the Jews"



For it was the Jews that Lifted up the serpent (the devil) in the wilderness.

Answer 11

Some pretty fair descriptions here, but factually; the definition of Jew is>>> A lover of God!

Answer 12

Judaism is one of the major Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (pbuh).



(i) The following verse from Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses: (pbuh)

"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad" It is a Hebrew quotation which means

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"

[The Bible, Deut 6:4]



(ii) Consider the following verses from the Book of Isaiah :

"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."

[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]



(iii) "I am lord, and there is none else There is no God besides me."

[The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]



(iv) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."

[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]



(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the following verses :

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor see them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…"

[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]



(iv) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deutoronomy :

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me.Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…"

[The Bible, Deut 5:7-9]

Answer 13

You may want to check out this site too.

www.whatjewsbelieve.org

Answer 14

when the hebrews left egypt they called themselves jews.

Answer 15

rich ppl