Are the Jewish People a Race or Religion?

Jewish identity doesn’t fit neatly into modern categories. Religion, ethnicity, nation—none fully capture what it means to be Jewish.

For millennia, Jews have passed down a shared history, culture, and unbroken lineage, blurring the lines between faith and peoplehood. But if Judaism doesn’t fit into any one box, what is it?

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:39 Religious component of Judaism
00:53 Genetic component of Judaism
01:49 A race?
02:20 An ethnicity?
03:20 A nation?
05:39 An ancient concept in a modern world
06:29 What the Jewish people really are

Sources:
-Are Jews a Race? My Jewish Learning.
-Judaism: Are Jews a Nation or a Religion? Jewish Virtual Library.
-Book of Ruth, Chapter 1, Verse 16

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Recommended video—Are All Jews Genetically Related?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2AJdphzrFY&list=PL-DNOnmKkUaa4Uyiyq-CDwE2kq4btXfOW&index=6

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Image and footage credits:
David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries
IDF Spokesperson’s Office
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Caliente The Music Company
U.S. Embassy Jerusalem
Photos used with permission of AAEJ Archives Online
Israeli Government Press Office: Zoltan Kluger
Ken Klein
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Executive Producer:
— Barry Skolnick
Co-Executive Producer:
— Shmuel Katz
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Translation credits:
Portuguese: Saymon Pires

About Explainers: From ancient Jewish traditions to the modern State of Israel, we explain it all. Diving into anything and everything related to Jewish culture, history, and even religion.
Understand Jewish holidays, Israeli politics, Jewish diasporic communities, and more. Learn about Judaism in pop culture, debunking myths about Jews, and explore obscure Israeli landmarks. We’re asking questions as basic as “What is the Talmud?”, and as obscure as “How did hip-hop boost Kosher wine sales?”, and everything in between.

About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.

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