Definition Merriam Webster 2026: The noun Jew is commonly used by people who identify as such, often as a deeply meaningful designation. However, use of the term by those who are not Jewish in generalizations about Jewish people, and especially in generalizations about Jewish people that draw on stereotypes, is highly offensive. Adjectival use by those who are not Jewish is also commonly considered offensive; Jewish is used before nouns instead.
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What Does It Really Mean to Be 'Jewish?'
Judaism is not strictly a race because Jews do not share one common ancestry. For instance, Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardic Jews are both "Jewish." However, whereas Ashkenazi Jews often hail from Europe, Sephardic Jews often hail from the Middle East via Spain or Morocco. People of many different races have become Jewish over the centuries.
Although today Israel is often called the Jewish homeland, being Jewish is not strictly a nationality because Jews have been dispersed throughout the world for almost 2,000 years. Hence, Jews come from countries all over the world.
To be Jewish means that you are part of the Jewish people, a part of "The Chosen," whether because you were born into a Jewish home and culturally identify as Jewish or because you practice the Jewish religion (or both).
What Does It Mean For Jews to Be the Chosen People?
According to Jewish belief, Jews are the Chosen People because they were chosen to make the idea of one God known to the world. It all began with Abraham, whose relationship with God has traditionally been interpreted in two ways: either God chose Abraham to spread the concept of monotheism, or Abraham chose God from all the deities that were worshiped in his time. Either way, the idea of “chosenness” meant that Abraham and his descendants were responsible for sharing the word of God with others.
Who is a Jew?
Traditionally, a Jew is any person whose biological mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism.
(It is interesting to note that all genealogies in the 'Old Testament' also called Tanakh, are given from the paternal side. Why do Jewish communities forgo this ancient tradition? I personally know why, but will refrain to state it.)
It is important to note that being a Jew has nothing to do with what you believe or what you do. A person born to non-Jewish parents who has not undergone the formal process of conversion but who believes everything that Orthodox Jews believe and observes every law and custom of Judaism is still a non-Jew, even in the eyes of the most liberal movements of Judaism, and a person born to a Jewish mother who is an atheist and never practices the Jewish religion is still a Jew, even in the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox. In this sense, Judaism is more like a nationality than like other religions, and being Jewish is like a citizenship. See What Is Judaism?
This has been established since the earliest days of Judaism. In the Torah, you will see many references to "the strangers who dwell among you" or "righteous proselytes" or "righteous strangers." These are various classifications of non-Jews who lived among Jews, adopting some or all of the beliefs and practices of Judaism without going through the formal process of conversion and becoming Jews. Once a person has converted to Judaism, he is not referred to by any special term; he is as much a Jew as anyone born Jewish.
What Is Judaism?
What does it mean to be a Jew? Most people, both Jewish and gentile, would instinctively say that Judaism is a religion. And yet, there are militant atheists who insist that they are Jews! Is Judaism a race? If you were to say so, most Jews would think you were an antisemite! So what is Judaism?
Is Judaism a Religion?
Clearly, there is a religion called Judaism, a set of ideas about the world and the way we should live our lives that is called "Judaism." It is studied in Religious Studies courses and taught to Jewish children in Hebrew schools. See What do Jews Believe? for details. There is a lot of flexibility about certain aspects of those beliefs, and a lot of disagreement about specifics, but that flexibility is built into the organized system of belief that is Judaism.
However, many people who call themselves Jews do not believe in that religion at all! More than half of all Jews in Israel today call themselves "secular," and don't believe in G-d or any of the religious beliefs of Judaism. Half of all Jews in the United States don't belong to any synagogue. They may practice some of the rituals of Judaism and celebrate some of the holidays, but they don't think of these actions as religious activities.
The most traditional Jews and the most liberal Jews and everyone in between would agree that these secular people are still Jews, regardless of their disbelief. See Who is a Jew? Clearly, then, there is more to being Jewish than just a religion.
Clearly the term Judaism refers to the religion. The religion imparted from the laws given to Moses.
In the same way, Christianity is also a religion. With one major difference: Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
Whereas, in Judaism, Jesus Christ is not the Messiah. They are still waiting for their Messiah. As a Christian, you should refrain from reading their Talmud, as it literally trashes our Lord Jesus Christ.
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