Jews
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| - | [[Image:A Child at Gunpoint of the Stroop Report.jpg |thumb|right|200px|''[[A Child at Gunpoint]]'' ([[1943]]) from the ''[[Stroop Report]]'']] | + | {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" |
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| + | [[Hath not a Jew eyes?]] | ||
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| + | The first [[Christian]]s (whom historians refer to as [[Jewish Christians]]) were the original Jewish followers of [[Jesus]]. The eventual redefinition of [[Biblical law in Christianity|Moses' Law]] by Jesus' [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] and their [[Divinity of Jesus|belief in his deity]], along with the [[Development of the New Testament canon|development of the New Testament]], ensured that [[Christianity and Judaism]] would become [[Split of early Christianity and Judaism|different and often conflicting religions]]. | ||
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| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | :''[[Hath not a Jew eyes?]]'' | + | The '''Jews''', also known as the '''Jewish people''', are a [[nation]] and an [[ethnoreligious group]], originating in the [[Israelites]] or [[Hebrews]] of the [[Ancient Near East]]. The [[Jewish ethnic divisions|Jewish]] [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], [[nationality]], and [[religion]] are strongly interrelated, as [[Judaism]] is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation. [[Conversion to Judaism|Converts to Judaism]], whose status as Jews within the Jewish ethnos is equal to those born into it, have been absorbed into the Jewish people throughout the millennia. |
| - | # An adherent of [[Judaism]]. | + | In Jewish tradition, Jewish ancestry is traced to the Biblical patriarchs [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]] in the second millennium BCE. |
| - | # A person who claims a cultural or ancestral connection to the Jewish people (see [[secular Jew]]). | + | The modern [[Israel|State of Israel]] was established as a Jewish nation-state, and defines itself as such in its [[Basic Laws of Israel|Basic Laws]]. Its [[Law of Return]] grants the right of citizenship to any Jew who requests it. Israel is the only country where Jews are a majority of the population. Jews also enjoyed political autonomy twice before in [[ancient history]]. The first of these periods lasted from 1350 to 586 BCE, and encompassed the periods of the [[Book of Judges|Judges]], the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Monarchy]], and the Divided Monarchy of the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Israel]] and [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]], ending with the destruction of [[Solomon's Temple|the First Temple]]. The second was the period of the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean Kingdom]] spanning from 140 to 37 BCE. Since the destruction of the First Temple, most Jews have lived in [[Jewish diaspora|diaspora]]. A minority in every country in which they live (except Israel), they have frequently experienced [[Persecution of Jews|persecution]] throughout history, resulting in a population that has fluctuated both in numbers and distribution over the centuries. |
| - | #: Hath not a '''Jew''' eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs<br> | + | |
| - | #: dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with<br> | + | |
| - | #: the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject<br> | + | |
| - | #: to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means,<br> | + | |
| - | #: warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer<br> | + | |
| - | #: as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?<br> | + | |
| - | #: If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,<br> | + | |
| - | #: do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? | + | |
| - | [[William Shakespeare]] ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' (Act III, scene I) | + | The world [[Jewish population]] reached a peak of 15 million prior to the [[Second World War]], but six million Jews were killed in the [[Holocaust]]. Since then the population has risen again and as of 2010, was estimated at 13.4 million by the North American Jewish Data Bank, or less than 0.2% of the total world population (roughly one in every 514 people). According to this report, about 42.5% of all Jews reside in [[Israel]] (5.7 million), and 39.3% in the [[United States]] (5.3 million), with most of the remainder living in [[Europe]] (1.5 million) and [[Canada]] (0.4 million). These numbers include all those who consider themselves Jews, whether or not they are affiliated with a Jewish organization. The total world Jewish population, however, is difficult to measure. In addition to issues with census methodology, there are ''[[halakha|halakhic]]'' disputes regarding [[Who is a Jew?|who is a Jew]] and secular, political, and ancestral identification factors that may affect the figure considerably. |
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| - | ====Usage notes==== | + | |
| - | * The Jewish community overall has a common religion, culture, identity, and ethnicity, but individual Jews do not necessarily share all of these; therefore, a person might be a Jew by one standpoint but not by another. | + | |
| - | * Additionally, there are some religious groups that identify themselves as part of Judaism, but that other Jewish groups might not; hence, use of the term ''Jew'' often depends on the speaker's opinions. | + | |
| - | * The noun ''Jew'' is not offensive, and the overwhelming majority of English-speaking Jews use the noun ''Jew'' to identify themselves. | + | |
| - | * That said, it has become offensive for historical reasons to use the word ''Jew'' attributively, in modifying another noun (as in "Jew lawyer"); the adjective ''[[Jewish]]'' is preferred for this purpose. | + | |
| - | * Additionally, the derived verbs ''[[jew]]'' and ''[[jew down]]'' are considered offensive, as they reflect stereotypes considered offensive. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ====Synonyms==== | + | |
| - | * [[Jewess]] (''female'' — ''archaic'') | + | |
| - | * [[Hebrew]] {{dated}} | + | |
| - | * [[Israelite]] {{dated}} | + | |
| - | * [[kike]] {{derogatory}} | + | |
| - | * [[Moses]] (''dated'', ''derogatory'') | + | |
| - | * [[yid]] (''derogatory'') | + | |
| - | ==Negative use== | + | |
| - | The word ''Jew'' has been used often enough in a disparaging manner by [[Anti-Semitism|anti-Semites]] that in the late [[19th century|19th]] and early [[20th century|20th centuries]] it was frequently avoided altogether, and the term ''Hebrew'' was substituted instead (e.g. [[Young Men's Hebrew Association]]). Even today some people are wary of its use, and prefer to use "Jewish". Indeed, when used as an adjective (e.g. "Jew lawyer") or verb (e.g. "to Jew someone"), the term ''Jew'' is purely pejorative. However, when used as a noun, "Jew" is preferred, as other circumlocutions (e.g. "Jewish person") give the impression that the term "Jew" is offensive in all contexts. | + | |
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| - | In much the same manner, ''Yid'' (ייִד) — [[Yiddish]] for "Jew", and a benign term when taken without context — was once used as an insult, but now is often used by Jews in praise, to describe an upstanding religiously observant Jew (e.g., "He's such a ''Yid'', giving up his time like that") or to distinguish upstanding religiously observant Jews from non-observant, with the implication that the latter would be better people if they were stricter in their observance (e.g., "''Yidn'' [ייִדן – plural for ''Yid''] wouldn't do such a thing"). | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | In the past, the term "Jewess" was sometimes used for Jewish women. This word, like "[[Negro|Negress]]" is now at best an archaism, and is generally taken as an insult. However, some modern Jewish women have reclaimed the term Jewess and use it proudly. | + | |
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| - | More complete guides to topics related to the Jews is available from the guide at the [[Template:Jews and Judaism sidebar|top]] or [[Template:Jews and Judaism|bottom]] of this page. Some topics of interest include: | ||
| - | |||
| - | * [[Ashkenazi Jews]] | ||
| * [[Antisemitism]] | * [[Antisemitism]] | ||
| + | * [[The Holocaust]] | ||
| * [[Israel]] | * [[Israel]] | ||
| - | ** [[Basic Laws of Israel]] | + | * [[Jewish culture]] |
| - | ** [[Law of Return]] | + | |
| - | ** [[Politics of Israel]] | + | |
| - | * [[Jewish diaspora]] | + | |
| * [[Jewish identity]] | * [[Jewish identity]] | ||
| - | * [[Jewish languages]] | + | * [[Ashkenazi Jewish intelligence]] |
| - | * [[Jewish population]] | + | * [[Jewish studies]] |
| - | * [[Jewish population by cities and city areas]] | + | * ''[[The Invention of the Jewish People]]'' |
| - | * [[Judaism]] | + | * ''[[The Economic History of the Jewish People]]'' (2002) by Jacques Attali |
| - | * [[Lists of Jews]] | + | |
| - | * [[Mizrahi Jews]] | + | |
| - | * [[Pogrom]] | + | |
| - | * [[Sephardi Jews]] | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 12:21, 16 May 2018
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The first Christians (whom historians refer to as Jewish Christians) were the original Jewish followers of Jesus. The eventual redefinition of Moses' Law by Jesus' disciples and their belief in his deity, along with the development of the New Testament, ensured that Christianity and Judaism would become different and often conflicting religions. |
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The Jews, also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and an ethnoreligious group, originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation. Converts to Judaism, whose status as Jews within the Jewish ethnos is equal to those born into it, have been absorbed into the Jewish people throughout the millennia.
In Jewish tradition, Jewish ancestry is traced to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the second millennium BCE. The modern State of Israel was established as a Jewish nation-state, and defines itself as such in its Basic Laws. Its Law of Return grants the right of citizenship to any Jew who requests it. Israel is the only country where Jews are a majority of the population. Jews also enjoyed political autonomy twice before in ancient history. The first of these periods lasted from 1350 to 586 BCE, and encompassed the periods of the Judges, the United Monarchy, and the Divided Monarchy of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, ending with the destruction of the First Temple. The second was the period of the Hasmonean Kingdom spanning from 140 to 37 BCE. Since the destruction of the First Temple, most Jews have lived in diaspora. A minority in every country in which they live (except Israel), they have frequently experienced persecution throughout history, resulting in a population that has fluctuated both in numbers and distribution over the centuries.
The world Jewish population reached a peak of 15 million prior to the Second World War, but six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Since then the population has risen again and as of 2010, was estimated at 13.4 million by the North American Jewish Data Bank, or less than 0.2% of the total world population (roughly one in every 514 people). According to this report, about 42.5% of all Jews reside in Israel (5.7 million), and 39.3% in the United States (5.3 million), with most of the remainder living in Europe (1.5 million) and Canada (0.4 million). These numbers include all those who consider themselves Jews, whether or not they are affiliated with a Jewish organization. The total world Jewish population, however, is difficult to measure. In addition to issues with census methodology, there are halakhic disputes regarding who is a Jew and secular, political, and ancestral identification factors that may affect the figure considerably.
See also
- Antisemitism
- The Holocaust
- Israel
- Jewish culture
- Jewish identity
- Ashkenazi Jewish intelligence
- Jewish studies
- The Invention of the Jewish People
- The Economic History of the Jewish People (2002) by Jacques Attali
