Alexis Jacobi wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 10:18 pm
Sculptor wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 9:28 pm
There is even debate about whether the current groups of peoples calling themselves Jews are even familiarly related to those that once lived there.
This is another, and really quite strange, aspect about Judaism.
Technically, Judaism depends on one's
genetics. You could (technically) be a Jew but practice Shinto or Buddhism -- or completely deny every belief of Judaism. You are
born of a Jewish mother (Reform Judaism is less strict: either parent can be Jewish) and thus are Jewish. If your mother is not Jewish you are not, technically, a Jew -- though you could believe every tenet and practice them all. You'd be required to go through a conversion.
So historically "marrying out" and not marrying "in" were profoundly frowned upon. In fact to marry out often resulted in general exile from one's former community. But these strict rules were maintained mostly, or most fiercely, in observant religious communities.
When the general Emancipation took place the idea was, in a sense, to assimilate Jews into the general populations where they resided. Judaism was perceived, wrongly in fact, as a
religion and that one could choose the religion and thus become a Jew. Or decide to be something else. But it is much more complex. The Orthodox conversion process is difficult, demanding, and takes a long time. It can be done though. The Orthodox because of their fixation on genetics mirror in a weird way how the National Socialists defined who is, and who is not, a Jew.
However, here is the problem. When a Jew assimilates he ceases to be a Jew. Or he begins the process. When he exists the matrix of the community, and the community had always been a tightly woven religious and cultural one, his children are not raised in the tradition. Judaism has always functioned through separation. Assimilation is thus the bane of Judaism. People do though remain
culturally Jewish for a generation or two but eventually they are lost in assimilation. They might say "My grandmother was Jewish" but it has little meaning.
Assimilation is greatly feared by practicing, Orthodox communities. It is possible that an "assimilated" Jew could choose to reenter the fold, and this does happen. But that means taking up the halachic regulations and involves, once again, separation and isolation.
"Being a Jew" is really a strange type of
identification.
Judaism, and Jewishness, depend (and this is sort of amazing) on historical memory. The more strongly is your identification, the more strongly do you remain aware of the trails and tribulations of Jewish history. You know exactly where you are and how you got there.
And that is why is was possible, after centuries and millennia, to then return to Judea. And the memory led, naturally, to a reenactment of the original history of the original conquest.