What does it take to be a Jew?

Answer 1

There are cultural Jews (those which rarely attend temple, who practice none of the traditions, whose heritage is Jewish and call themselves Jews);

Then there are the "traditional Jews," who come from a Jewish mother go to synagogue and practice Judaism and read the Torah.

In short Judaism is a religion as well as a culture. What does it take to be a Jew? I once asked a Rabbi about that. At the end of our conversation he asked me if I was Jewish. Thank you, no I am a Chrisitian, I said.

He questioned that and said then you must be from one of the lost tribes.

If you are born from a Jewish mother, according to Judaic law (halakha), you are Jewish. Although Jews do not actively proselytize, converts are welcome.

See also the attached Related Link.

Answer 2

Being Jewish is, first of all, just like being any other person. If you are more religious however, or rather, more spiritual about the religion you may feel more of a connection to the people and earth around you. That is one of the values that the Jewish faith promotes and one of the overall main ideals of it. Other than that you may not feel any different from other people or you may not eat pigs and anywhere in between. Personally I feel great.

Answer:

Of course there are many kinds of Jews and lifestyles and they can't be described in a short article. But the typical religious Jew - probably the majority of them - tends to be a white-collar worker who, in addition to a regular job, attends synagogue services morning and evening each day. Many of them also attend a daily "Daf Yomi" class in which one page of the Talmud is taught each day.

Religious Jews tend to get married relatively young (early twenties) and have large families - six to ten children is commonplace - and family life is paramount in importance, with the parents deeply involved in the education of their children. The parents foot the bill for private-school education for the children because of this importance.

Daily life in the home is replete with mitzvah-observances; blessings are said over all foods and drinks, Torah-festivals and Sabbath are observed in the home, and the children are taught portions from the Torah on a daily or weekly basis.

Though conversation is typically in English, it is seasoned with hundreds of Hebrew and Yiddish expressions, many of them expressing religious concepts. The kosher diet is adhered to. Clothing will be more or less Western (modern) in style (depending on the particular Jewish community), but it is always modest in style.

Religious Jewish women have a tightly-knit community of their own; each woman has a close circle of friends who constantly share and help each other. Many women attend weekly classes in various subects of Torah or outlook.

Answer 3

Judaism is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people. Originating in the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Tanakh) and explored in later texts such as the Talmud, it is considered by Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel. According to traditional Rabbinic Judaism, God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah. This was historically challenged by the Karaites, a movement that flourished in the medieval period, retains several thousand followers today and maintains that only the Written Torah was revealed. In modern times, liberal movements such as Humanistic Judaism may be nontheistic. Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3000 years. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and the oldest to survive into the present day. The Hebrews / Israelites were already referred to as Jews in later books of the Tanakh such as the Book of Esther, with the term Jews replacing the title "Children of Israel." Judaism's texts, traditions and values play a major role in later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith. Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law. Jews are an ethnoreligious group that includes those born Jewish and converts to Judaism. In 2010, the world Jewish population was estimated at 14 million, of whom about 40% reside in Israel and 40% in the United States. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. A major source of difference between these groups is their approach to Jewish law. Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and Jewish law are divine in origin, eternal and unalterable, and that they should be strictly followed. Conservative and Reform Judaism are more liberal, with Conservative Judaism generally promoting a more "traditional" interpretation of Judaism's requirements than Reform Judaism. A typical Reform position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a set of restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all Jews. Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary. Authority on theological and legal matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and the many rabbis and scholars who interpret these texts.

Answer 4

not much different to secular lives just more holidays (if you are reform)

Religious answer:Religious Jews make an effort to marry young (early 20s) and have a large family. Torah is learned and taught; and the children's education is very important. People dress modestly, pray often, eat kosher, and keep the Sabbath and the other Jewish laws and customs. See the attached Related Link.

Answer 5

Of course there are many kinds of Jews and lifestyles and they can't all be described in a short article.

The typical religious Jew - probably the majority of them - tends to be a white-collar worker who, in addition to a regular job, attends synagogue services morning and evening each day. Many also attend a daily "Daf Yomi" class in which one page of the Talmud is taught each day.

Religious Jews tend to get married relatively young (early twenties) and have large families (six to ten children is commonplace); and family life is paramount in importance.

The parents are deeply involved in the education of their children. They foot the bill for private-school for the children because of the importance of a Jewish education.

Daily life in the home is replete with mitzvah-observances. Blessings are said over all foods and drinks; Torah-festivals and Sabbath are observed in the home, and the children are taught portions from the Torah on a daily or weekly basis.

Though conversation is typically in English, it is seasoned with hundreds of Hebrew and Yiddish expressions, many of them expressing religious concepts.

The kosher diet is adhered to. Clothing will be more or less Western (modern) in appearance (depending on the particular Jewish community), but it is always modest in style.

Religious Jewish women have a tightly-knit community of their own; each woman has a close circle of friends who constantly share and help each other. Many women attend weekly classes in various subjects of Torah or outlook.

Answer 6

Of course there are many kinds of Jews and lifestyles and they can't all be described in a short article.
The typical religious Jew - probably the majority of them - tends to be a white-collar worker who, in addition to a regular job, attends synagogue services morning and evening each day. Many also attend a daily "Daf Yomi" class in which one page of the Talmud is taught each day.
Religious Jews tend to get married relatively young (early twenties) and have large families (six to ten children is commonplace); and family life is paramount in importance.
The parents are deeply involved in the education of their children. They foot the bill for private-school for the children because of the importance of a Jewish education.
Daily life in the home is replete with mitzvah-observances. Blessings are said over all foods and drinks; Torah-festivals and Sabbath are observed in the home, and the children are taught portions from the Torah on a daily or weekly basis.
Though conversation is typically in English, it is seasoned with hundreds of Hebrew and Yiddish expressions, many of them expressing religious concepts.
The kosher diet is adhered to. Clothing will be more or less Western (modern) in appearance (depending on the particular Jewish community), but it is always modest in style.
Religious Jewish women have a tightly-knit community of their own; each woman has a close circle of friends who constantly share and help each other. Many women attend weekly classes in various subjects of Torah or outlook.

Answer 7

Of course there are many kinds of Jews and lifestyles and they can't all be described in a short article.
The typical religious Jew - probably the majority of them - tends to be a white-collar worker who, in addition to a regular job, attends synagogue services morning and evening each day. Many also attend a daily "Daf Yomi" class in which one page of the Talmud is taught each day.
Religious Jews tend to get married relatively young (early twenties) and have large families (six to ten children is commonplace); and family life is paramount in importance.
The parents are deeply involved in the education of their children. They foot the bill for private-school for the children because of the importance of a Jewish education.
Daily life in the home is replete with mitzvah-observances. Blessings are said over all foods and drinks; Torah-festivals and Sabbath are observed in the home, and the children are taught portions from the Torah on a daily or weekly basis.
Though conversation is typically in English, it is seasoned with hundreds of Hebrew and Yiddish expressions, many of them expressing religious concepts.
The kosher diet is adhered to. Clothing will be more or less Western (modern) in appearance (depending on the particular Jewish community), but it is always modest in style.
Religious Jewish women have a tightly-knit community of their own; each woman has a close circle of friends who constantly share and help each other. Many women attend weekly classes in various subjects of Torah or outlook.

Answer 8

Religious Jews tend to be white-collar workers who also attend synagogue services morning and evening each day. They get married young and family life is paramount in importance. They foot the bill for private-school for the children because of the importance of a Jewish education.
The kosher diet is adhered to. Clothing will be more or less Western (modern) in appearance (depending on the particular Jewish community), but it is always modest in style.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Kinds of Jews

Link: Mitzvah-observances

Link: What are the benefits of belonging to Judaism

Link: Jewish community life

Link: Jewish religious culture

Answer 9

Jewish tradition states that a Jew is any person whose mother was Jewish (Talmud, Kidushin 68b), or any person who has gone through a proper conversion to Judaism (Talmud, Yevamot 47a).

• Link: About conversion
  

The word "Jew" (in Hebrew, "Yehudi") is derived from the name of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and one of the Twelve Tribes of the Israelites.

The Jewish people are descendants of Jacob's grandfather Abraham the Hebrew.

Though it may have an associated culture and one or more associated languages, the traditional definition of Judaism is the observance of the Torah, which is why dictionaries define Judaism as "the religion of Moses." In this sense, the word "Torah" is meant in its wider meaning, which includes the Tanakh, the Talmud, and other classical Jewish texts.
For fuller detail, see the Related Links.Link: The basic beliefs of Judaism

Link: The practices of Judaism

Answer 10

Religious Jews tend to be white-collar workers who also attend synagogue services morning and evening each day. They get married young and family life is paramount in importance. They foot the bill for private-school for the children because of the importance of a Jewish education.
The kosher diet is adhered to. Clothing will be more or less Western (modern) in appearance (depending on the particular Jewish community), but it is always modest in style.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Kinds of Jews

Link: Mitzvah-observances

Link: What are the benefits of belonging to Judaism

Link: Jewish community life

Link: Jewish religious culture