Sir, I have one question. My friend who is hindu loves Judaism very much, he has started to Identify himself Jewish. So would you accept his identify? Do you accept him as a Jew? He didn't converted formally and not wanted to formally convert.
Our movement accepts "any person who declares himself or herself to be a Jew and who identifies with the history, ethical values, culture, civilization, community, and fate of the Jewish people." shj.org/organize/social-justice-issues-and-resolutions/who-is-a-jew/ If your friend would like to be recognized as Jewish, the Society for Humanistic Judaism offers online resources and a certificate program - see shj.org/living-humanistic-judaism/radical-inclusion/becoming-a-humanistic-jew/.
How can the concept "Jewish identity" be coherent if it can take virtually any form? It doesn't even have what Wittgenstein called a "family resemblance." There just is no global secular Jewish identity. Aside from religious belief and practice, what does an American Jew have in common with an Iranian Jew, a Yemeni Jew, an Argentine Jew, or an Ethiopian Jew? They listen to different music, eat different foods, and wear different clothes. (Or they did before the globalization of trade and mass communications. Today non-Jews worldwide enjoy bagels. So?) Even Israeli secular culture is not Jewish -- it's Israeli. Yiddish was never spoken by Jews worldwide, and most Israelis don't speak it. It was the language of a specific time and place. Iraqi Jews spoke Arabic day to day, not Yiddish or Hebrew. So where is this global secular Jewish culture, and why do secularists with Jewish mothers need to "identify as" Jewish? It's not enough to be a person? As Shlomo Sand asks, how can someone without a Jewish mother become a secular Jew? The only way, I guess, is for him to have his mother convert.
Commonalities among those diverse groups include a calendar, holiday observances (eg matzah and a seder, whatever the content), life cycle celebrations, the same Hebrew Bible as source literature, AND a self-conception of being part of one global people. Alaskans and Floridians transplanted from New York City "listen to different music, eat different foods, wear different clothes" but both identify as part of the American people, both observe Thanksgiving and July 4 in their own ways, etc. Alternatively, one can certainly lean in to their sub-cultural Jewish identity secularly as an Ashkenazi Yiddish-speaking or Israeli Hebrew-speaking Jew. Others may prefer to experience the wide variety of Jewish cultures, while having special emotional connections with their particular family roots. As for becoming a secular Jew, Secular Humanistic Judaism has been welcoming new members of the Jewish family through "adoption" for many decades, like being naturalized as a citizen of a new peoplehood. Here's an example of one: ua-cam.com/video/W9Srp7-seUY/v-deo.html Thanks for watching!
Not even 5 minutes into this video and I can hear this guy twisting words. Forget about the word secular for a minute and lets think about the word "practicing' for a minute. I believe if a person is not practicing their religion, they cease to be a member of that religion. A non practicing Jew is a nominal Jew, that is a Jew in name only. They may have the outward appearance of being Jewish, celebrate Jewish religious festivals, eat and dress Jewish on occassion, but if they stop believing in God, and worshipping God , being Jewish is simply becomes a cultural phenonemon.
When asked if they believe in the God of the Bible, a universal spirit, or none of the above, over 20% of self-identified American Jews said "none of the above." Being Jewish is much more than a question of supernatural belief! www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/jewish-americans-in-2020/
Great video
Fantastic video filled with a lot of useful information. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sir, I have one question. My friend who is hindu loves Judaism very much, he has started to Identify himself Jewish. So would you accept his identify? Do you accept him as a Jew? He didn't converted formally and not wanted to formally convert.
Our movement accepts "any person who declares himself or herself to be a Jew and who identifies with the history, ethical values, culture, civilization, community, and fate of the Jewish people." shj.org/organize/social-justice-issues-and-resolutions/who-is-a-jew/
If your friend would like to be recognized as Jewish, the Society for Humanistic Judaism offers online resources and a certificate program - see shj.org/living-humanistic-judaism/radical-inclusion/becoming-a-humanistic-jew/.
@@IISHJvid Bless you...💛
How can the concept "Jewish identity" be coherent if it can take virtually any form? It doesn't even have what Wittgenstein called a "family resemblance." There just is no global secular Jewish identity. Aside from religious belief and practice, what does an American Jew have in common with an Iranian Jew, a Yemeni Jew, an Argentine Jew, or an Ethiopian Jew? They listen to different music, eat different foods, and wear different clothes. (Or they did before the globalization of trade and mass communications. Today non-Jews worldwide enjoy bagels. So?) Even Israeli secular culture is not Jewish -- it's Israeli. Yiddish was never spoken by Jews worldwide, and most Israelis don't speak it. It was the language of a specific time and place. Iraqi Jews spoke Arabic day to day, not Yiddish or Hebrew. So where is this global secular Jewish culture, and why do secularists with Jewish mothers need to "identify as" Jewish? It's not enough to be a person? As Shlomo Sand asks, how can someone without a Jewish mother become a secular Jew? The only way, I guess, is for him to have his mother convert.
Commonalities among those diverse groups include a calendar, holiday observances (eg matzah and a seder, whatever the content), life cycle celebrations, the same Hebrew Bible as source literature, AND a self-conception of being part of one global people. Alaskans and Floridians transplanted from New York City "listen to different music, eat different foods, wear different clothes" but both identify as part of the American people, both observe Thanksgiving and July 4 in their own ways, etc.
Alternatively, one can certainly lean in to their sub-cultural Jewish identity secularly as an Ashkenazi Yiddish-speaking or Israeli Hebrew-speaking Jew. Others may prefer to experience the wide variety of Jewish cultures, while having special emotional connections with their particular family roots.
As for becoming a secular Jew, Secular Humanistic Judaism has been welcoming new members of the Jewish family through "adoption" for many decades, like being naturalized as a citizen of a new peoplehood. Here's an example of one: ua-cam.com/video/W9Srp7-seUY/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching!
@@IISHJvid The commonalities you list are not secular. But I'll let it go. Thank you.
Well, they all celebrate the same holidays and pray in Hebrew.
Not even 5 minutes into this video and I can hear this guy twisting words. Forget about the word secular for a minute and lets think about the word "practicing' for a minute. I believe if a person is not practicing their religion, they cease to be a member of that religion. A non practicing Jew is a nominal Jew, that is a Jew in name only. They may have the outward appearance of being Jewish, celebrate Jewish religious festivals, eat and dress Jewish on occassion, but if they stop believing in God, and worshipping God , being Jewish is simply becomes a cultural phenonemon.
When asked if they believe in the God of the Bible, a universal spirit, or none of the above, over 20% of self-identified American Jews said "none of the above." Being Jewish is much more than a question of supernatural belief! www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/jewish-americans-in-2020/