Welcome friends!  Occasionally, I hear the question, “Does Jewishness refer to ethnicity or religion?”  In other words, is one a Jew because of bloodline or because of religion?

Good question…and I don’t know if I have the “perfect” answer, but perhaps I can shed some light that may help in understanding.

According to halakha (Jewish law), a person born of a Jewish mother is a Jew and will remain one, even if not an observant Jew religiously.  On the other hand, Judaism is also a religion/belief system, though just because one practices Judaism does not make one a Jew. Thus, being Jew has more to do with birth (ethnicity) than religion. The terms “Jew” and “Judaism” come from the tribe of Judah.

Having said that, Israel is one nation of many tribes, and God is bringing them all back to the land of Israel!  You may be surprised to know that Jews are a very diverse mixture of people.  Here are a few “types” of Jews:

• Sephardic Jews.  These Jews came from Spain, where they were kicked out in 1492 during the Spanish Inquisition.  Many went to Israel, becoming the majority there until the 16th century.
• Ashkenazi Jews.  Coming from Europe, these Jews suffered the most during the Holocaust, where they were targeted by the Nazis and murdered by the millions. Following Israel’s independence in 1948, Ashkenazi Jews made up the majority in Israel.
• Mizrahi Jews.  These Jews came from North Africa and Arab countries following the Arab’s response to Israel’s declaration of independence.  Many fled hostile Arab nations to find opportunity in Israel.  This group became dominant during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
• Russian Jews.  Numbering over 1 million, Russian Jews make up a vast number of Jewish citizens in Israel today.  Many still speak Russian, and they have brought valuable skills, such as music and medicine, to Israel.
• Ethiopian Jews.  Very much a minority in Israel, Ethiopian Jews are returning in larger numbers today.  In fact, there are current efforts to bring the last of the Ethiopians Jews back home. Caught in the civil war of the 1990’s, they fled to Addis Ababa, where Israel sent the largest airlift ever to rescue over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews and bring them to Israel!

Israel is a very diverse land filled with Jews who were dispersed to the four corners of the earth following the Roman conquest of Israel in 70 AD.

God was not kidding when, in Ezekiel 36:24, He said, “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.”

More incredibly, however, He went on to say:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

The Jewish identity today may indeed have more to do with bloodline than with religion.  However, I suspect our Lord God will change that paradigm some day…and it could be soon!

Check back tomorrow when we’ll take a look at various Jewish religious positions in Israel.

Happy Lord’s Day!