Why are Jews an ethnic group and not simply a religious faith?
We literally keep telling people this (at least 10 times a day), but just get ignored. Everyone else seems to want to define what Judaism is, instead of allowing people who are actually Jewish to define themselves and explain. Judaism IS a religion and it definitely isn't a race like some have suggested. There are Jews of ALL races the world over. Judaism HAS distinct ethnic groups in itself, but that does not make the entire group an ethnicity. Ashkenazic (German or Eastern European), Sephardic (Spain and Portugal), Mizrahim (Middle Eastern, North African) and smaller subgroups exist. These include: Indian Jews (Bene Israel), Romaniotes (Greece), Italian and Chinese Jews. The customs are different, so are the base languages as a whole etc.. The reason people make these distinctions is for one of two reasons 1) Antisemitism (easier to hate people who are separate from you) 2) To make claims that one can be Jewish while being a Christian To clear up the 'who is Jewish' thing: Someone is Jewish one of two ways (according to Judaism): A) Their mother is Jewish: If someone takes up another belief they are an apostate. Should they *want* to return to Judaism, they wouldn't have to convert back into the religion, but apostasy implies a number of things, like not being buried in a Jewish cemetery for example. B) One converts into the religion: Judaism doesn't proselytize (because we understand that it's not for everyone), but if someone wants to convert, by all means they are welcome to.
Are Israelis and Jews an ethnic group?
The term Jew or Jewish is one of those terms that can mean someone belonging to that religious group and also someone with that ethnicity, who, then could also be Polish, or German, or English, or Sephardic, or Ethiopian, or . . . in his/her ethnicity. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews One can be of Jewish ancestry (be Jewish), having ancestors who followed Judaism, but who themselves do not follow that religion. Someone who describes himself/herself as an Israeli, stating his/her citizenship or country of his/her birth as Israel. A little more than 75% of those residing in Israel are Jewish. A little more than 20% of Israel's residents are of Arab ancestry (most following Islam as a religion.) The remaining over 4% of the residents are ". . . defined as "others" (family members of Jewish immigrants who were not registered at the Interior Ministry as Jews, non-Arab Christians, non-Arab Muslims and residents who do not have a religious classification)." So, someone who says they are 50% Jewish are meaning that half of their ancestry is through Jewish family lines. I know people who have half Jewish ancestry -- mother's ancestry was Jewish; father's ancestry was not Jewish -- and are therefore "50% Jewish." They do not happen follow the Jewish faith, by the way. Best wishes