Jewish identity: Ethnicity first, religion second

Jewish people are a diverse people.

Some are assimilated and live much like their neighbours. Others wear black clothes with distinct black hats and preserve what they call a Torah-observant life. There are Liberal Jews, Conservative Jews, Charedi Jews, atheist Jews, and every kind of Jew in between. Some are very religious, others not at all. But they are all Jewish.

The focus of this article is on that one word: are - meaning, their identity is not determined by their beliefs. They are Jewish regardless of what they believe or practice. To be Jewish is an ethnicity first and a religion second.

In conversations with evangelical Christians, they often say things like: “Well, he isn’t really Jewish.” Or even: “But he never goes to synagogue.” Or: “His mother isn’t Jewish.” And based on this, they make a judgment call as to how Jewish someone is.

If our friend lives in visibly traditional ways - with distinctive clothing and practices, preserving what they call a Torah-observant life - we have no doubt they are Jewish. But if they wear no external signs of being Jewish, never wear a Star of David necklace, and only go to synagogue on the Jewish New Year, there is a temptation to say, “Well, he isn’t really Jewish.”

They are Jewish

But being Jewish is first and foremost a matter of national identity rooted in ancestry and community, not in religious belief. And when we open the pages of the Bible, we see this distinction spelled out: Mount Sinai and the tragic episode of the golden calf. Or think Mount Carmel, think Elijah, think prophets of Baal - they are all Jewish.

And throughout the Scriptures, we also see examples of people joining Israel’s community by choice rather than by birth. I know from personal experience in ministry that Jewish people can depart far from a perceived orthodoxy - they can be into New Age, Buddhism, even be atheists - but they will all call themselves Jewish. The one thing we are told we cannot believe in, is Jesus.

The takeaway is simple: accept your Jewish friend as Jewish, even if they don’t meet your expectations of what a Jewish person “should” be.

The way forward: Listen

As evangelical Christians, we know why we believe. We have experienced God’s love poured out through the blood of the Saviour - the Son of God who died for our sins. We’ve meditated deeply on this. But our Jewish friends come from a different place. They may know some traditions, even if only a few. They may not be able to articulate what they believe. Often, the clearest thing they can say is what they don’t believe - namely, that Jesus is the Messiah.

The way forward is not to argue definitions but to listen. Understand with them, what it means to be Jewish. Ask them about their family background, their holidays, their memories of growing up Jewish. What matters is not whether their answers fit our categories, but that we show respect and genuine interest in their lives.

If they call themselves Jewish, then they are Jewish - whether they have one Jewish parent, one Jewish grandparent, come from a completely secular Jewish home, or join the community by choice rather than birth. Our role is to respect them, love them, and share our lives with them. And in doing so, to gently and faithfully lead them toward the knowledge of the Jewish Messiah, the Saviour of the world.

There can be no greater privilege than to point anyone to the Saviour - how much more when we share Him with the very people from whom He came?