Jew
A Jew is a person who is of Jewish heritage. Jews typically consider themselves as a separate nation rather than just adherents of a religion, therefore a Jew is not only one that practices the religion of Judaism, but it is also one who is of Jewish heritage. According to the Jewish Halakha, someone is Jewish if their mother was a Jew.[1]
The word Jew originally meant people from the ancient Kingdom of Judea (where Israel is today). After most Judeans were forced out by the Romans, the word started to mean people of the Jewish religion, and not just those from Judea.
Israel is the only Jewish country, but there are Jewish minorities in many places in the world. Most of them live in large cities in the United States, Argentina, Europe and Australia. Both Israel and the U.S. have over five million Jews.[2]Russia used to also have millions of Jews, but most of them moved to Israel or the U.S., or were killed in the Holocaust.
Jews have been victims of various persecutions. The one that happened during the Second World War is known as The Holocaust.
[change] Jewish ethnic groups
There are Jewish ethnic groups. The two biggest are called Ashkenazi (European Jews) and Sephardic (Jews from the lands around the Mediterranean Sea). There are also African Jews (Beta Israel or Mizrahi), Indian Jews (Bene Israel) and even some Chinese Jews (Kai-feng Jews). Many of these groups have moved from one place to another. For example, many Ashkenazi Jews live in the United States, and many Mizrahi Jews live in France.[3]
Jews speak many languages, but the most common are Hebrew (the official language of the Jewish faith) and Yiddish.
[change] Famous Jews
- See also: Category:Jewish people
Many Jews have gone on to do great things in science, literature, business, and the arts. Some of the most famous include:
- David Ben-Gurion, Israeli politician
- Mel Brooks, movie director
- Noam Chomsky, American writer
- Aaron Copland, composer
- Bob Dylan, American singer
- Albert Einstein, scientist
- Anne Frank, diarist
- George Gershwin, composer
- Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State
- Emma Lazarus, author
- Maimonides, philosopher
- The Marx Brothers, comedians
- Golda Meir, Israeli politician
- Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli politician
- Steven Spielberg, movie director
- Mark Spitz, swimmer
- Larry David, actor, producer
- Jerry Seinfeld, comedian
- Andy Samburg, comedian
[change] References
- ↑ Dosick, Wayne (2007). Living Judaism. New York: HarperCollins. p. 56-57. ISBN 0-06-062179-6.
- ↑ (PDF) Annual Assessment, Jewish People Policy Planning Institute (Jewish Agency for Israel), 2007, p. 15, http://www.jpppi.org.il/JPPPI/SendFile.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&GID=489, based on American Jewish Year Book. 106. American Jewish Committee. 2006. http://www.ajcarchives.org/main.php?GroupingId=10142.
- ↑ Schmelz, Usiel Oscar; Sergio DellaPergola (2007). "Demography". Encyclopaedia Judaica (2d ed.) 5. Ed. Fred Skolnik. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 571–572.
