Who Is Jewish?
Maya was born into an Orthodox Jewish family and grew up going to synagogue, keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath), and observing Jewish customs and religious laws. Sean was raised in a secular Jewish home and identifies as an atheist. Kathy has one Jewish grandparent, but her Jewish heritage doesn’t play a significant role in her life. Who of these three is actually Jewish? Are all of them Jewish? Or only some of them? What is it that makes someone Jewish?
In 2022, there were nearly 15.3 million Jewish people living worldwide, with almost half living in the United States (7.3 million) and close to another half in Israel (7.1 million). These numbers may imply that it’s easy to determine who is Jewish, but a closer look reveals that it isn’t so clear cut.
Some would say that to be Jewish is to practice a religion. Others would see being Jewish as identifying with the culture and history of the Jewish people. For still others, being Jewish is just part of who they are, even if they don’t practice Judaism or intentionally find ways to connect with their heritage.
Traditional Jewish law holds to matrilineal descent – if your mother is Jewish, then so are you. And if that isn’t confusing enough, Israel’s Law of Return states that a person only needs to have one Jewish grandparent in order to immigrate to Israel (in part because this was the Nazis’ definition of Jewishness, qualifying someone to be sent to a concentration camp!).
As someone who wants to share the gospel with the Jewish people, you’re probably wondering, So who is Jewish?
A concise, biblical answer to this question would be that Jewish people are the biological descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In other words, a person is Jewish by birth, not by religion. This is important, as some people (both Jewish and Gentile) mistakenly believe that a Jewish person who puts their trust in Jesus loses their Jewish identity. However, just as someone doesn’t lose any other ethnicity when they become believers, Jewish people don’t stop being Jewish when they come to faith in the Messiah!
The story of the Jewish people begins in the first verses of Genesis 12, when God makes a covenant with Abraham (then Abram) that includes the promises of land, seed, and blessing. Abraham was called “Abram the Hebrew” in Genesis 14:13, which is where we get the term “Hebrew” for the Jewish people.
After making His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:12-21), God renews the covenant with his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3-5), and then with his grandson Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15). A few chapters later, Jacob famously wrestles with God, who puts his hip out of joint before blessing him: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). From God’s renaming of Jacob, we get the biblical terms “children of Israel,” “people of Israel,” and “Israelites.”
Taking a thousand-year leap forward, Israel is now divided as a nation, with the Kingdom of Israel consisting of ten tribes in the north and Benjamin and Judah making up the Kingdom of Judah in the south. The word “Jews” appears in 2 Kings 25:25 in reference to those living in Judah. Today the word “Jewish” has come to mean all the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God still has a plan for the Jewish people. Despite human attempts to wipe them out throughout history, God has preserved His people and continues to sustain them today. Most importantly, through Abraham’s line, God Himself “became flesh, and dwelt among us” as a Jewish man (John 1:14), blessing “all families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3) with the gifts of atonement, grace, and eternal life.
Part of His plan is for a remnant of the Jewish people to be saved in the present time (Romans 11:5). This is truly great news for those who have a heart for the Jewish people, and a powerful reminder of God's steadfast love.
If you’d like to learn more about the Jewish roots of our faith, check out this YouTube video. Be sure to like and subscribe if you find the content helpful.
