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Are Jews a "Race"?



While the Jewish people began with the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, many people have converted to become Jews over the millennia--beginning with the "mixed multitude" that came with us out of Egypt. Today there are African Jews, Japanese Jews, even Eskimo Jews. It seems difficult to call such a mixture a "race".

(Incidently, there is really no such thing as a "race." The term "race" implies to most people that there are different categories of human beings based on their genetic makeup. The fact is that there is no basis in genetics for these distinctions. For example, an African from one family may have more in common genetically with a Swede than with another African.)

What could be said is that we are a "family". A family can adopt others as their own. But there are conditions to adoption. You need to keep the family rules. In our case, those rules have to do with the mission we were given at Mount Sinai over 3300 years ago.


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By Tzvi Freeman   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman heads Chabad.org's Ask The Rabbi team, and is a senior member of the Chabad.org editorial team. He is the author of a number of highly original renditions of Kabbalah and Chassidic teaching, including the universally acclaimed "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth." To order Tzvi's books click here.


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Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Nov 3, 2008
Are Jews a Race?
Lisa is wrong, I suppose it depends upon where you live, but if you live in an area where Jews from many different parts of the world have arrived you will note many differences between members of the different Jewish communities. Rashakelah is correct, a blue eyed blond Rumanian Cohan possesses the same Cohan gene possessed by a South African negro Cohan'
Posted By Dislexic Dave, London, U.K.

Posted: Oct 28, 2008
Are Jews a Race?
NO! They belong to a religion called Judaism.

They're often mistaken for a race because of similar last names, facial features and the way they speak, but they're coincidental happenings.
Posted By Lisa, Providence, RI

Posted: Oct 26, 2008
Are Jesws are aRace
I agreed that Jew is not a race they are members of a religion. But Cohan is a Race because they are the decendance of Aron the first high preist of Israel and they have some to do with genetic relationship. Race is base upon genetic connection.
Posted By Rashakelah, Casa, Morocco



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