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estherstein t1_iz39idb wrote

Reply to comment by ConsciousLiterature in Ashkenazi Jews Have Become More Genetically Similar Over Time – A new study of skeletons from a cemetery in Germany reveals a hidden history of Jews in the Middle Ages. by SebRLuck

As an Orthodox Jew, my personal impression is that the race idea is almost entirely externally imposed- once people are persecuted for having "Jewish blood", it's kind of awkward to tell them outright that we really don't care if their father was Jewish.

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Meow_Game t1_iz4cbrz wrote

We are an Am Kadosh, a holy nation, and so we are a nation first before we are a religion. Jews are a people first and a religion second

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geetarzrkool t1_iz5ghai wrote

Please, provide the genetic definition you are using for your own assertion.

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bawng t1_iz6flfr wrote

Why does genetics matter?

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geetarzrkool t1_iz5g4qh wrote

...but the mother does, according to Deuteronomy. Can't have it both ways. If you're a "tribal nation", that just means close blood relations, which have to be defined, but never are. "Traditions" and "interpretations" are non-scientific and serve no purpose. DNA doesn't lie. That's why people hate it.

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estherstein t1_iz5k9lw wrote

I would argue though that since we only recognize matrilineal descent and we don't differentiate between descendants of converts it's a religious definition and not a tribal one. You cannot tell if someone is Jewish (according to Orthodox Jewish standards) by DNA. Maybe their great-great-great-great grandmother converted- and if that conversion was valid, and they can prove direct female descent, they're 100% Jewish.

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