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Jewish identity is the objective or subjective sense of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. [1] It encompasses elements of nationhood, [2] [3 ...
A child of only one Jewish parent who does not claim this identity has, in the eyes of the Reform movement, forfeited his/her Jewish identity. By contrast, the halakhic view is that any child born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, whether or not he/she is raised Jewish, or even whether the mother considers herself Jewish.
In summary, Jewish nationhood is a complex and multifaceted concept that encompasses shared history, culture, religion, and a sense of belonging to a community. It has been a driving force in the preservation of Jewish identity throughout history and continues to shape the Jewish experience today.
In his view, the Bible, the parabiblical literature and the Jewish national history provide the base for a Jewish collective identity. Although many of the ancient Jews were illiterate (as were their neighbors), their national narrative was reinforced through public readings.
Within the Jewish community, philo-Semitism includes an interest in Jewish culture and a love of things that are considered Jewish. [ 136 ] Very few Jews live in East Asian countries, but Jews are viewed in an especially positive light in some of them, partly owing to their shared wartime experiences during the Second World War .
A person who is born to a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father is regarded as Zera Yisrael (lit. ' Seed of Israel ') and will only be accepted as ethnically Jewish and not as religiously Jewish. Thus, being Jewish through the paternal line typically necessitates conversion to Judaism to validate one's identity as a Jew in the fullest sense.
According to Shaye J. D. Cohen, the meaning of the term "Ioudaios" evolved throughout the Second Temple period, with 2 Maccabees representing a greater emphasis on the cultural and religious aspects of Jewish identity. [9] Despite this shift, later sources still highlight the importance of kinship and blood in Jewish national identity.
This watershed moment, the elimination of the symbolic centre of Judaism and Jewish identity motivated many Jews to formulate a new self-definition and adjust their existence to the prospect of an indefinite period of displacement. [9]