r/JewsOfConscience Aug 07 '24

AAJ "Ask A Jew" Wednesday

It's everyone's favorite day of the week, "Ask A (Anti-Zionist) Jew" Wednesday! Ask whatever you want to know, within the sub rules, notably that this is not a debate sub and do not import drama from other subreddits. That aside, have fun! We love to dialogue with our non-Jewish siblings.

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u/homendeluz Non-Jewish Ally Aug 07 '24

Is there any strand or sect of Judaism that rejects the 'ethnic' component of Jewish identity? That is, are there any forms of Judaism that understand the faith as purely a faith, and not as a people, not as something that can be passed down along the maternal line?

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u/specialistsets Non-denominational Aug 07 '24

In 1885 the nascent Reform movement in America adopted a platform that included just that: "we consider ourselves no longer a nation but a religious community" (but did not reject the concept of matrilineal descent). This was considered controversial even among Reform Jews, and they later adopted a platform in 1937 re-embracing the concept of Jewish Peoplehood. Reform is still the most "faith"-like of Jewish denominations, but they still observe matrilineal and, since 1983, patrilineal descent.

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u/homendeluz Non-Jewish Ally Aug 07 '24

Thanks!

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u/[deleted] Aug 08 '24 edited Aug 08 '24

In this context, I think it’s important to separate the terms ‘ethnic’, from what we can call, ‘tribal’. One’s Jewish identity being passed down through their maternal lineage can more accurately be described as a ‘tribal’ aspect of Judaism. Judaism in general can be described as far more tribal than any of the other major religions of the world.

To my knowledge, there are no Jewish denominations that outright reject this. Reform Judaism, which is the least observant of the major denominations, acknowledges Jewish identity from either maternal or paternal lineage. But there are some aspects of Judaism associated with the concept of ‘bloodlines’ that Reform Judaism rejects. For example, my paternal side is of kohen lineage . But a Reform synagogue would not acknowledge Kohen status and any Kohen related traditions. The whole topic around the question of Kohen lineage being real, is actually pretty interesting

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u/Pitiful_Meringue_57 Jewish Aug 08 '24

There are sects of judaism that recognize patrilineal descent and not maternal descent and reform recognizes both, and many sects recognize conversion. But since judaism is not a proselytizing religion it’s always gonna be that the vast majority of jews are gonna be jews bcz they were born and raised that way.