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soc.culture.jewish FAQ: Worship, Conversion, Intermarriage (5/12) |
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* Louis Finklestein's article on the Amidah in the "Jewish Quarterly
Review" (new series) volume 16, (1925-1926), p.1-43
* Joseph Heinemann "'Iyyunei Tefilla" Magnes, Jerusalem, 1981
* Seth Kadish "Kavvana: Directing the Heart in Jewish Prayer" Jason
Aronson Inc., 1997
* Jakob J. Petuchowski "Contributions to the Scientific Study of
Jewish Liturgy" Ktav, NY, 1970
* "Who knows four? The Imahot in Rabbinic Judaism" Alvin Kaunfer.
Judaism Vol 44. Winter 1995, p. 94-103
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 9.20: What is the Timeline of Women in the Rabbinate?
Answer:
The web site
[5]http://www.loyno.edu/~wessing/docs/KeyDatesJudaism.html provides a
timeline of Women's Leadership of Judaism in the US. There's a whole
chronology of women's ordination, in all religions, at
[6]http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Chronolgy_Ordination.htm. Some
key dates, drawn from these sites as well as other sites, are:
* 1846. Reform Judaism in Gemany states that women are equal to men
in Judaism in terms of "religious privileges and duties." The
result is that in Reform Judaism, women are counted in the minyan
or quorum needed for public worship service, the daily prayer in
which a man thanks God for not having made him a woman is dropped,
girls and women are taught Torah and Talmud, and women and men sit
together in the congregation.
* 1875. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise founds Hebrew Union College (Reform)
in Cincinnati, and encourages women to attend. However, they
cannot be ordained as rabbis.
* 1886. The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) is founded to
train rabbis.
* 1893. Two Jewish women, Josephine Lazarus and Henrietta Szold,
address the World's Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in
conjunction with the Columbian Exposition. The Congress of Jewish
Women, organized by Hannah G. Solomon, is held in conjunction with
the Parliament. The Congress of Jewish Women continues after the
Parliament as the National Council of Jewish Women (Reform), the
first national Jewish women's organization, with Hannah G. Solomon
as President.
* 1911. Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, is
founded by Henrietta Szold (Conservative), who had earlier
attended Jewish Theological Seminary, to bring improved health
care to Palestine.
* 1921. The issue of ordaining a woman rabbi is first raised by
Martha Neumark, a student at the Hebrew Union College (Reform) and
daughter of a HUC professor. The HUC faculty and the Central
Conference of American Rabbis conclude that there is no reason not
to ordain women, but the HUC Board of Governors maintains the
policy of ordaining only men as rabbis.
* 1922. The first bat mitzvah in America takes place for Judith
Kaplan, daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, who subsequently
becomes the inspirer of Reconstructionism.
* 1935. Regina Jonas was ordained by the liberal Rabbi Max Dienemann
in Offenbach GERMANY, who was the head of the Liberal Rabbis'
Association. Being ordained was one thing, but finding a pulpit
was another. Regina Jonas found work as a chaplain in various
Jewish social institutions. Because of Nazi persecution many
rabbis emigrated and so many small communities were without
rabbinical support. This made it possible for her to be a rabbi
and to preach in a synagogue, but not for a long period. She was
soon ordered - like all Jews - into forced labor in a factory.
Despite this, she continued her rabbinical work, i.e. she
continued to teach and to preach. For more information, see
[7]http://www.hagalil.com/deutschland/berlin/rabbiner/jonas.htm.
* 1938. Tehilla Lichtenstein is the first woman (non-ordained) to
serve her congregation as rabbi after death of her husband, Rabbi
Morris Lichtenstein. Tehilla Lichtenstein serves as Leader of the
Society for Jewish Science from 1938 until her death in 1973.
* 1951-54. Paula Ackerman (non-ordained) in Meridian, Mississippi,
serves as rabbi to a congregation after the death of her husband,
Rabbi William Ackerman.
* 1968. The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College is founded in
Philadelphia based on the ideals of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a
strong advocate of the equality of all persons.
* 1972. Sally Priesand is the first woman rabbi ordained in the
United States by a Jewish theological seminary, Reform Judaism's
Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio.
* 1973. The first Jewish feminist conference convenes in New York
City.
* 1974. Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is the first woman ordained by the
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
* 1979. The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) Faculty
Senate tables the issue of admitting women for the rabbinical
training as "provoking unprecedented divisions . . . . The bitter
divergence of opinion threatens to inflict irreparable damage."
* 1983. The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) Faculty
Senate votes to admit women for rabbinical training.
* 1984. The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College faculty vote to
admit gay and lesbian students.
Conservative Judaism's Jewish Theological Seminary admits 18 women
into its rabbinical program.
* 1985. Amy Eilberg is ordained the first Conservative woman rabbi.
* 1987. There are 101 Reform women rabbis, constituting 7% of 1,450
Reform rabbis.
* 1988. The Jewish Women's Studies Project is begun by students and
faculty at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College to promote
Women's Studies at that institution
* 1990. Survey by the Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform)
shows that 57 out of 153 Reform women rabbis work full-time in
congregations that belong to the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations; 16 are Assistant Rabbis, 10 are Associate Rabbis,
and 31 are solo Rabbis. There are only 37 Reform women rabbis with
the requisite experience making them eligible to become senior
rabbi of a congregation of more than 900 members . Three years
earlier, there were only 7 women rabbis who were so eligible. As
of 1990, no woman rabbi has become senior rabbi of such a large
congregation. Only 3 women rabbis head congregations of 300-600
members, while 90 women rabbis have the qualifications to do so.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform) votes to admit
openly and sexually active gay men and lesbians to the rabbinate.
Earlier, Reconstructionism, Unitarian-Universalists, and the
United Church of Christ had begun ordaining lesbians and gay men.
* 1991. There are 168 women rabbis ordained by the Hebrew Union
College (Reform); 40% were ordained during the previous five
years; 80% were ordained during the previous ten years. Women
rabbis constitute about 10% of Reform rabbis.
* 1992. Rabbi Susan Grossman is elected as the first woman to serve
on the Committee on Law and Standards of Conservative Judaism's
Rabbinical Assembly.
* 1993. Conservative Judaism has ordained a total of 52 women rabbis
between 1985 and 1993. Of the total of twenty graduates who were
ordained in 1993, eleven were women (55%). June 1993 The Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform) has ordained a
total of 205 women rabbis. Of the 224 currently enrolled in the
Hebrew Union College, 101 are women, constituting 45% of the
student body.
* 1995. Bea Wyler, who had studied at the JTS in New York, became
the first woman rabbi in post war Germany at the Jewish community
of Oldenburg.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 9.21: Are extremely observant men permitted to pray at
home?
Answer:
Yes. It's common for a man to pray at home on a day off if the
schedule of the day's activities can't be reworked to fit it. However,
there are a few other factors that come into play.
Monday and Thursday have Torah reading. Many Orthodox men will work
harder to fit congregational prayer ("minyan") into the schedule on
those days. This is even more true on the first day of the Jewish
month (and the thirtieth of the previous month, when there is one),
which has both a special Torah reading /and/ additional prayers.
Similar concerns would apply on the minor holidays (limiting to days
where work is permitted), such as Hannuka and the intermediate days of
Sukkot and Passover. Additionally, when someone is in mourning (for
example, the first eleven months after one has lost a parent), there
is strong motive to attend every service due to the custom of saying
kaddish for the deceased.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 9.22: What is the Qetzatzah Ceremony?
Answer:
The "qetzatzah ceremony" is described in the Jerusalem Talmud
(Yerushalmi Kiddushin Chap. 1 and Midrash Ruth Rabba), and also
appears in the Babylonian Talmud (the Talmud referred to when no
adjective is used) at Kesuvos 28b. In general, it is a means of
effecting a deal. For example, the Malbim (a 19th cent commentator)
mentions it when writing on the book of Ruth. Ruth 4:8 says "that
[handing someone your shoe] was the contract in Israel." Malbim notes
that between the time of the story and the time of its writing, the
standard means was changed to ketzatzah. Both are still valid today,
the comment was about a shift in popularity, not validity.
Ketzatzah involes breaking a barrel of fruit in the middle of the
street and then making a formal announcement. An example of its use is
a ceremony used to publicize a family's disapproval of the lineage or
sexual history of someone marrying to one of their offspring. The
family would revoke the child's right to inherit. To formalize this
transfer, ketzatzah was performed announcing (translation from the
Talmud): Hear our brothers Israel! Our brother so-and-so married a
woman of improper lineage. We are afraid that our seed will be mixed
with his. Come take some fruit as a rememberance, so our seeds will
not get mixed.
According to the Malbim, the point of ketzatzah is to do something
that would make an impression not only on the adult witnesses, but on
the children as well. Ketzatzah was used to keep the memory of
something alive as long as possible.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 9.23: What time of day were the sacrifices offered?
Answer:
Pretty much all times of the daylight hours and part of the evening.
The morning Tamid (perpetual) offering was performed at or close to
sunrise every day. The evening Tamid was right before sunset. The
daily minchah (gift) flour offering was in the early afternoon. On
holidays there were also mussaf (additional offerings). In between
were voluntary offerings and various kinds of sin offerings, offerings
after birth or certain other lifecycle events. After sunset, anything
remaining from the day's services were offered.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.1: Does Halacha (Jewish law) permit intermarriage?
Answer:
According to post-Sinaitic Jewish law, a marriage can be contracted
only between two Jews, so an intermarriage is not recognized as a
Jewish marriage.
In some countries, the progressive Jewish movements recognize civil
marriages as Jewishly valid, irrespective of religion.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.2: I'm a Jew who married a gentile. Am I still Jewish?
Answer:
Yes. Marriage doesn't change your status.
With respect to your children, according to Conservative and Orthodox
Judaism, the children of Jewish mothers are Jewish, and the children
of gentile women are gentile unless converted. (An adult who converts
must accept the Obligation of the Commandments at the time of
conversion. A child who converts delays this acceptance until age 13
(12 for girls), thereby validating the childhood-conversion. If he
doesn't accept the commandments, he is not considered Jewish.)
Reform requires that a child born of a mixed marriage identify
publicly with Judaism (e.g., have a Jewish naming, Brit (if
appropriate), Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, etc.) to be considered
Jewish by Reform. This is called the [5]"patrilineal descent"
decision.
The liberal Jewish movements (Reform, Progressive) often try to work
with intermarried couples to encourage them to remain involved in
Judaism, to raise their children as Jewish (with subsequent formal
conversion, or to meet the requirements for Reform Judaism), and to
educate the non-Jewish partner so that Jewish life at home is not
sabotaged (often, as a side-effect of this, the non-Jewish partner
makes an independent decision to convert). There is a group that works
on promoting services to intermarried families, called the [6]Jewish
Outreach Institute (JOI) <[7]http://www.joi.org/>. Since 1989, this
group has held several national conferences for Jewish communal
professionals and lay leaders to foster expertise in programming for
the nearly 600,000 intermarried families and their more than 700,000
children in North America. If you are interested in JOI's publications
or obtaining a directory of services, visit their [8]homepage, write
them at 1270 Broadway, Suite 609 New York NY 10001; contacted them via
Email at [9]info@joi.org, or via telephone at +1-212-760-1440.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.3: I'm a Jew who accepted the tenets of another
religion, but now wants to practice Judaism again. Am I allowed? Am
I still Jewish?
Answer:
A Jew cannot become a non-Jew. This is because any Jew can do tshuva
(repentance or "return") up to the moment of death, and this includes
forsaking one's estrangement from Judaism. The three steps of Teshuvah
are based on the [5]Rambam.
A Jew who sins (e.g. by joining another religion) may lose the
privileges of being a Jew (e.g. participation in the Jewish community)
but at no point does a Jew become a non-Jew. For example, if a
particular activity is permitted to non-Jews, but forbidden only to
Jews, it remains a sin for this person.
In Judaism, repentance consists of admitting the sin, regretting that
one sinned, and resolving not to repeat the sin. In the case of a sin
that consisted of joining another religion, recanting would certainly
be involved--one would (in addition to admitting "I believed in X")
say "I regret that I believed in X" and "I will no longer believe in
X".
In English, one does not "repent to", one repents. In Hebrew, "to
repent" and "to return" are the same word. One returns to G-d. But one
returns to G-d by doing the above three actions.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.4: OK, then apart from halachic considerations, why do
many Jews of all types oppose intermarriage?
Answer:
Children of intermarriages are statistically less likely to identify
with Judaism than children raised by Jewish parents, so intermarriage
weakens the Jewish people. Therefore, Jews across the spectrum oppose
intermarriage in order to prevent this weakening.
A large part of Jewish observance and identity centers on the home,
family, and community. Religion is a part of daily life, in areas as
diverse as making a blessing before wearing new clothes for the first
time to thanking G-d before and after meals. Special occasions such as
Shabbat and holidays carry special customs and observances. A home
made by a Jew and a non-Jew is much less likely to be a "Jewish home".
Where children are involved, they are most likely to grow up with a
positive Jewish identity when they see both parents Jewishly
connected.
Also, for many people, a difference in religion is an added stress on
a relationship. For this reason, many Jewish parents discourage
intermarriage in their children in an honest attempt to help their
children find long-term happiness.
Given all this, what should be our attitude when intermarriage occurs?
There are some that believe the intermarried couple should be
ostracized. Others take a different view.
First, if there are no children involved (as sometimes happens with
elderly couple), then there is no real loss to the community in terms
of future generations. If there is no conversion, each partner just
practices their own religion.
If there are children, or potential children, involved, the issue is
different. Ostracizing the couple may have the side effect of
destroying any positive attitudes towards Judaism, ensuring the
children will not be Jewish. Remaining open to the couple, inviting
them to family ceremonies, and showing them the beauty of Judaism can
help educate the non-Jewish partner. Even if the partner doesn't want
to convert, it may convince the partner to raise the children Jewish,
and (if appropriate) have the children be formally converted into
Judaism. Often, having children will make a parent want to reconnect
with their spiritual heritage. The Jewish parent may feel an increase
desire towards reconnecting with Judaism, and keeping their children
connected. This desired would be destroyed if the couple had been
ostracized.
The best thing to do is to keep an open mind. Believe that the couple
is not lost. By demonstrating to them the joy and beauty of Judaism,
they may choose to return or increase their Jewish practices.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.5: Is objection to intermarriage a form of bigotry?
Answer:
The traditional objection to intermarriage is simply that it is one of
the 613 Mitzvot (commandments) that a Jew cannot and may not marry a
non-Jew. Of course one may and should look for reasons for this
Mitzvah, but the bottom line is that Mitzvot are done because they
were commanded by G-d.
Is this bigotry? Perhaps. Yet such exclusiveness is common in religion
-- and not just Judaism. On the other hand, the dictionary definition
of a bigot is "A person who is rigidly devoted to his own group,
religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ."
Although Jews are devoted to their own group or religion, they are not
intolerant of the other groups. Rather, the attitude is "live and let
live", and if one wants to become part of the Jewish community, one
should join the community.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.6: But I still want to intermarry? Do you know of a
Rabbi that performs intermarriages?
Answer:
Sigh. As Eliot Shimoff wrote:
I do not like this thread, it's dead
I do not like it, mark it "read"
I could not, would not, on the Net
I shall not, must not, on a bet
Decimal, octal, or binary
It isn't good to intermarry
I would not co-officiate
I wouldn't even approve a date!
I must not officiate-co
Absolutely, NO NO NO
I don't approve of marriage, inter
Summer, fall, spring, or winter
I know deep down I should hit K
Kill this thread, and save the day
I don't approve of intermarriage
But here is comes, our next net barrage. :-)
If you really insist on going through with the intermarriage after
everything you have read and you are in the United States, Frank F.
Smith wrote on soc.culture.jewish that you might want to contact
[5]The Rabbinic Center for Research and Counseling
([6]http://www.rcrconline.org/) in Westfield, NJ (908-233-2288
(automated message); 908-233-0419 (real person), 908-233-6459 (FAX)).
Founded in 1970, the Rabbinic Center for Research and Counseling is
the first organization established to promote research on
intermarriage and to serve the needs of intermarrying and intermarried
couples. The Rabbinic Center provides a list of rabbis who officiate
at intermarriages, conducts and promotes research on intermarriage,
offers premarital and marital therapy for intermarried couples and
their families, and presents a variety of programs specifically geared
to the needs of intermarried couples. Their [7]list of rabbis is
available at [8]http://www.rcrconline.org/rabbi.htm. To obtain the
list by mail, send your name and address with a check for $20 to the
Rabbinic Center, 128 East Dudley Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090.
In addition to the list of over 290 rabbis, you will receive some
articles on intermarriage and on the programs the Center offers for
intermarried couples. The list will be sent by return mail. Please add
$10 if you want the list sent by fax or email and add $20 for Federal
Express. For telephone information on the List of Rabbis Who Officiate
at Intermarriages, call (908) 233-2288. Note: All rabbis on the list
are members either of the Central Conference of American Rabbis or of
the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; the list is updated
monthly, and that some rabbis have conditions under which the
officiate (such as raising the children as Jewish).
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.7: How does one convert?
Answer:
Please Note: Potential converts should be aware that, depending on the
movement that performs the conversion, other movements may or may not
recognize their conversion. For example, Orthodox movements do not
recognize all Reform conversions, most Conservative conversions, and
even some Orthodox conversions. In general, the more liberal the
movement, the more accepting it is of other movement's conversions;
the more orthopractic the convertion, the more acceptable it is more
movements. However, the question of Jewish status in Israel is
different. Jews (regardless of affiliation; regardless of conversion
status) may receive Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return. Once
in Israel, one's acceptance as a "Jews" is usually up to the Orthodox
religious authorities, who may or may not regard a non-Orthodox
conversion as halachically-valid regardless of the affiliation on your
Israeli identity card.
Conservative and Orthodox Jews require that the potential convert be
instructed about how to live as a Jew, and undergo kabbalat ol mitzvot
[agreement to do the commandments], mila [circumcision for men], and
tevila [immersion in a 'mikvah' ritual bath], and that the procedure
be supervised by a beit din [court] of three. Note that the members of
the Bet Din must be acceptable witnesses. According to the Orthodox
Jewish law, a witness must scrupulously observe all the laws,
particuarly Shabbat. From an Orthodox standpoint, therefore, any Jew
who does not follow Orthodox standards of practice--rabbi or
not--would not be qualified to sit on a Bet Din.
The [5]Reform movement requires that the potential convert agree to
observe the commandments (according to Reform standards) and
participate publicly in the community, but they do not require mikva
or mila. Reform recommends that the potential convert be made aware of
mikva and mila, and that their conversion would be unacceptable to
Orthodox Jews, but such notification is not required. In fact, in the
pamphlet "Becoming a Jew", published by the UAHC/CCAR Commission on
[6]Reform Jewish Outreach, it says in response to the question "If I
convert with a Reform rabbi, will all rabbis consider me to be a
Jew?":
Reform, Reconstructionist, and under certain circumstances,
Conservative rabbis recognize the validity of conversions performed
by rabbis of all branches of Judaism. Many Orthodox rabbis,
however, do not recognize non-Orthodox conversions. Your sponsoring
rabbi will be able to discuss further any implications of
conversion under his or her auspices for you.
The Reform portion of the FAQ contains [7]contact information on how
to start the conversion process.
Conservative rabbis will accept Reform conversions with mila and
tevila, regardless of the observance level of the beit din, for the
sake of intergroup harmony.
The debate among movements as to the acceptability of different
procedures remains unresolved, and is unlikely to ever be resolved
(and certainly will not be resolved in network discussions). The
reasons for this depend on from which movement the question is asked.
And so the reasoning of each movement needs to be stated separately.
Liberal Judaism views this as a question of stringency. Therefore, for
Liberal Judaism to say "I will comply with the Orthodox standard" is
to acknowledge an insufficiency of its own standards. Obviously, then,
non-Orthodox rabbis are unwilling to leave all conversions to the
Orthodox (even though this may seem like an efficient compromise from
a practical point of view.) Conversely, for a Orthodox Judaism to say
"Liberal standards are acceptable" is to acknowledge a superfluity of
its stricter standards, an equally unlikely scenario.
Orthodox Judaism views this as a question of objective reality. A
non-Jew does or does not become Jewish by a particular procedure. This
is in some ways analagous to the procedure by which a person becomes a
naturalized citizen. Just as the oath of allegiance that the person
takes to become a citizen is only the end of a process, and only
certain judges may administer that oath; so to (l'havdil) the Beit
Din, Tevilah (immersion), and circumcision (if male) are the
culmination of a process and may only be administered by certain
rabbis. This is obviously unacceptable to Liberal Judaism, as part of
the procedure is an understanding and acceptance of the world view of
Orthodox Judaism.
If you are still interested after reading the above, the following
will help you start:
1. First, get in touch with a rabbi in the movement with which you
wish to associate:
+ Orthodoxy: Consult your local rabbi.
+ Conservative: The Rabbinical Assembly, the organization of
rabbis affiliated with the Conservative movement in Judaism,
has established a national hotline to provide free advice,
information, and literature on the Conservative movement's
programs for people who wish to convert to Judaism. The
number in the US is (800) 275-6532 [800 ASK-N-LEARN].
+ Reform: Consult a local Reform rabbi. If you want to talk to
someone by Email, look at the answer to [8]Section 18.7,
question 4 in the Reform FAQ. Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn also
provides conversion support for those in far-flung
communities interested in Reform conversion; see
[9]http://www.convertingtojudaism.com/ for details.
2. Second, start reading. A good place to start is the General part
of the S.C.J reading list, in the section [10]Where do I start?.
3. Third, you might consider exploring the [11]Conversion Web Site
(). This site, run by Dr. Lawrence J.
Epstein, contains information on conversion to Judaism in a manner
that hopefully avoids any partisan leanings. USA addresses and
phone numbers for obtaining information from the Orthodox (RCA),
Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist movements are provided.
Another good site is Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn's
[12]http://www.convertingtojudaism.com/ .
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.8: What about adults who are not circumcised?
Answer:
Adult converts must also undergo some form of circumcision. In the
Orthodox and Conservative movements, actual circumcision is required
unless, of course, the convert is already circumcised (at which point
a pinpricking is performed to draw blood, an inherent part of the
act). In the Reform movement, circumcision for converts is recommended
but not required.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 10.9: What does the word "Jew" mean?
Answer:
There are at least two totally distinct meanings of the word Jew.
The one that is germane to most of the issues of SCJ is what might
best be described as a "member of the Jewish people." The people who
are generally considered to belong to this group are enumerated under
the heading "Who is a Jew", below.
Although membership in "Am Yisrael," as we call the Jewish people, is
determined by religious criteria, these criteria do not include the
actual practice of Judaism. So Am Yisrael is truly a group of people
who identify themselves as such, and not just a religion. Some people
refer to Am Yisrael as a nation.
Because many people have joined Am Yisrael through conversion over the
years, Jews are not, at this point, a single ethnic group, any more
than the French people. There are Jews of several different
ethnicities, as described elsewhere in this FAQ.
Nevertheless, there is an group that, for better or worse, is often
described as Jews: the descendants of the ancient Hebrews, many of
whom were dispersed across much of the earth during Roman times. And
the vast majority of Am Yisrael belong to this group. To avoid
confusion, we shall refer to this group as "descendants of the ancient
Hebrews."
It is sometimes unclear whether a frequently asked question about Jews
refers to Am Yisrael or to the descendants of the ancient Hebrews. We
shall give separate answers in case of confusion.
In soc.culture.jewish, speaking as a Jew has the implication that one
is currently Jewish, and not practicing another religion. Hence, a
person born Jewish but practicing Islam should not write "I'm a Jew
who accepts Muhammad's prophecy" but rather the more truthful "I'm a
practicing Muslim of Jewish ancestry." Of course, Jews who practice
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