Jewish nation. "mythical nationality-Jew"

Are they different from other nations?

Analysis of this issue is the key to clarifying a number of confusions and misconceptions. These questions relate to two fundamental concepts - Nation And Religion. If you try to understand them more deeply, a whole series of questions and confusion may become clearer.

How are people formed?

At some point in history, a certain ethnic group stood out from environment and gradually, over the centuries, created its own customs, beliefs, culture, language, etc. This turned a disparate group of people into a nation. And subsequently - either they themselves continued to develop their belief, turning it into a religion, or a new religion was implanted in them, or they themselves voluntarily accepted it, but... at the same time they did not lose their national characteristics. That is, at the beginning there was a national affirmation and only then a religious one.

Therefore, nationality and religion exist independently and can be combined in one or another combination. There may be an Englishman-Muslim, a Japanese-Christian, an Eskimo-Buddhist, nationality separately, religion separately.

Different nationalities have their own clothing

Therefore, at first glance, a legitimate question arises:

Is it possible to be a Russian of Jewish faith?

The answer is no. You can be a Russian of Christian, Muslim or any other faith, but not Jewish.

This is the answer to the question:

We are Jewish by nationality. Why do we need religion?

All citizens Soviet Union
had to indicate their nationality

As was previously said, the concepts of religious and national among Jews are identical, so they cannot be separated.

It’s hard for us to admit and even think that there is nothing originally Jewish in our lives, and never was. It's about not even about modern youth, who for the most part are deprived of the slightest national attribute, but about previous generations who moved away from Jewish life, but maintained a strong national identification. What they considered primordially Jewish: Yiddish culture, Jewish songs, clothing, food, alas... all this was borrowed to one degree or another from the peoples of the world among whom Jews lived.

So, where is the whole Jewish essence?

From the moment of receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai until the present day, everything that is originally Jewish is found in the Torah and only in the Torah. And if among the peoples of the world life is regulated by their own desires and ideas, then among the Jews all aspects of life are established by the Torah and the sages of the Torah. Only the Torah defines basic concepts, from the national sign - who is a Jew, to the spiritual - what is Jewish. Only from the Torah do we know that a Jew who has departed from Jewish life is also a Jew and, moreover, any person can become a Jew...

The Torah not only contains all of Jewish culture, but ultimately it is the only thing that unites Jews as a people. After all, over the past 2000 years, all the national attributes that characterize other nations were absent from the Jews. There was no common territory, no common history, no common language, no common genealogy, no culture... and only the Torah and the observance of religious precepts invisibly and silently connected and united them all.

And only as long as the Torah is taught somewhere can the Jewish people exist there. And where the Torah is not taught or lived according to it, as history clearly confirms, everything Jewish disappears within a few generations.

Therefore, of course, “Jews can be separated from religion,” but at the same time the concept of “Jewish” will have to be separated from the Jews themselves!

The Jews are the sons of Jacob. There is so much talk about them! Some people respect these people, others despise them, but the Jewish people leave no one indifferent. They are given unflattering epithets, myths and legends are made up about them, and jokes are heard everywhere that ridicule their stinginess, pettiness and stinginess. So who are the Jews?

Separate tribe

Representatives of each nationality are similar to each other: the Chinese belong to a single Mongoloid race, they have a similar eye shape, skin color, height; Italians are a temperamental and dark-haired nation; Swedes are distinguished by light eyes and hair, and Jews are completely different.

If you walk through the beautiful and well-kept streets Tel Aviv, you can see dark-skinned men in national clothes, hurrying about their business, blond women dressed in luxurious oriental dresses, pale and thin students in strict European suits. What unites all these people, is it really a common history?

The question of who the Jews are cannot be answered without a preface. There is a funny and fascinating legend that says that in ancient times the concept of “nationality” did not exist in principle, and peoples lived in separate tribes, speaking the same language. The continuation is known even to children: people decided to erect a high tower (to the very sky), which angered the Almighty. He destroyed the unfinished structure and, as punishment, divided all people into nationalities that spoke different languages. There were no Jews among those who rebelled against God...

Who are the Jews? First, it’s worth debunking the most common misconception that Jewish is a nationality. In fact, the word “Jew” is very closely intertwined with the word “Jew”, hence it follows that “Jew” is a religious affiliation, creed. Any person who has undergone conversion (the process of converting to Judaism) is officially considered a Jew.

Summing up, we can answer the question of who the Jews are. They can be Russians, Americans, Germans, Japanese, and residents of any other countries. Jews are those who accepted the Jewish faith and all its strict laws, as well as children born of a Jewish mother, even if they later openly oppose the Torah and change their religion.

Russian-speaking Jews

What does the concept of “Russian Jews” mean and do such people exist? Of course, they exist, but at the same time they differ sharply from their relatives living in other countries. First of all, less religiosity. The bulk of them are as cool towards Judaism as they are towards Buddhism, Hinduism or Christianity.

As a result of the divisions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Russian Empire replenished the lands where the bulk of the Jews lived. Already by end of the 19th century century, almost 70% of the entire Jewish people lived in Russia. These people are a unique phenomenon, this is a truth that does not require proof. A special subethnic group was formed that spoke Russian, but at the same time it belonged to several cultures at the same time - Russian and Jewish.

Russian Jews suffered many hardships. In 1908, a decree was passed prohibiting them from entering higher education. educational establishments. Not only the Jews themselves, but also their descendants were not promoted to officer rank. Persecution, multiple bans, infringement of rights and ultimately the Holocaust led to mass emigration of Jews.

Now one sixth of Russian Jews live in Israel. They are the largest ethnic group in the country and have enormous influence on the political and social environment. The interesting thing is that for Israelis they are Russians, and for Russians they are Jews.

Dislike for enemies

Why don't they like Jews? Jews live in Russia - this fact haunts many people. Perhaps it’s due to some qualities and characteristics of their character that are unique only to this nation? Most likely no. Something invisible and invisible is hidden in them, it evokes a whole range of feelings: from mild and unexpressed hostility to outright disgust. There is an assumption that it is a matter of envy of their luck, intelligence and wealth. There is also a more interesting and plausible explanation for anti-Semitism. It has spiritual roots.

Even ardent atheists, in the depths of their souls, cannot completely renounce the thought: “What if God still exists?”, and if this is really the case, then people cannot call themselves masters of the world. Society is irritated by the frantic belief of Jews in their own chosenness of God. Anti-Semites believe they have a claim to world domination as well as an inherent national superiority. The Jewish concept of the Messiah (Messiahism) is based on the fact that it was not they who appointed themselves, but the Almighty who chose them as guardians and followers of the doctrine of one God (monotheism).

Jews in Russia will always be attacked; Western tolerance will not take root in this territory. Religious fanatics cannot forgive them for the burning of Jesus Christ; people for whom the “Bible” is Mein Kampf, written by Adolf Hitler, will also not change their beliefs.

But the Jewish ethnic group seems to be completely abstracted from the opinions of the people of the whole world. And he continues to live his life. By the way, without forgetting to focus on your own significance and the magnitude of your contribution to art, literature, science, etc.

Jews: photos

The Jewish people also have peculiarities in appearance, but not every person is able to distinguish a Jew from a non-Jew. With age, their features become more pronounced. It is believed that a Jew can be easily identified by his nose - this “prominent” part of the face reveals his nationality. Indeed, a thin, elongated nose with a strongly downturned tip is a feature that many Jews possess. The photo allows you to examine this feature in detail.

This is a characteristic Jewish nose.

Was there a tragedy?

Holocaust (burnt offering) is a word that is known to every person. The history of the Jews contains many sad facts, but there was nothing worse than systematic persecution and complete destruction. How many of them died? In 1945, a terrifying figure was named - 6,000,000 people. But modern research has shown that speculation about victims numbering in the millions is absurd and not supported by any evidence. Holocaust denial is punishable by law. Why do people want to hide the truth and what is the basis for the claim that only a few hundred thousand people died?

Irvingists (deniers) claim that all this is a big lie and falsification, a deliberate concealment historical facts. And this is being done so that cunning Jews can continue to take money from Germany, presenting themselves as victims.

The main arguments of the revisionists:

1. The absence of destruction orders only indicates that they did not exist.
2. The mass disappearance of Jews is the result of their resettlement and deportation.
3. Jewish testimony is contradictory.
4. Burning and gassing were economically and technically impossible at the time.

People were divided into two camps. Those who support the Jews on this issue believe that the Germans, realizing that the war was lost, began to create the necessary basis for denying the Holocaust. Be that as it may, a lot of people died. The history of the Jews contains many testimonies of mass executions and torture, they themselves call it all one in a short word“Shoah”, which means “catastrophe, destruction, collapse.”

Highest echelon of power

Jews took many places in the Russian government. Moreover, they occupy the most prestigious positions:

1. Dvorkovich Arkady Vladimirovich - Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.
2. Shuvalov Igor Ivanovich - First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.
3. Kozak Dmitry Nikolaevich - Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.
4. Igor Ivanovich Sechin is the president of the state oil company Rosneft.
5. Nurgaliev Rashid Gumarovich - Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
6. Lavrov Sergei Viktorovich - Minister of Foreign Affairs.
7. Avdeev Alexander Alekseevich - Minister of Culture.

The list can go on for a very long time. One thing is clear - Jews occupied almost all the places in the Russian government. You can often hear a joke that Russia is a second Israel and a huge unplowed field for the activities of enterprising Jews. According to unofficial data, their number in the government ranges from 70 to 90 percent. And this started a very long time ago.

After the tsar, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov came to power. The leader did not hide his belonging to the Jewish people, but did not feel either pride or shame about this. He was replaced by Joseph Vissarionovich. Here opinions are divided: some believe that he is a Georgian, some that he is an Ossetian, some that he is a Jew. What arguments are given in favor of latest version? First of all, his father's profession is a shoemaker. In those days this was a traditional Jewish activity. Well, the main argument is the surname - Dzhugashvili. Translated from Georgian “Juga” is “Jew”. Thus, in Russian this surname sounds like “son of a Jew.”

Jews in Russian show business

Famous Jews perform at Russian stage. Many people do not even suspect that their favorite singers and actors belong to the cohort of the Jewish people. Below is a list of them:

• Angelika Varum (Varum Maria Yuryevna) is the daughter of a composer and theater director. My grandfather's last name was Roebuck; he was forced to change it during World War II.
• Leonid Agutin (Chizhov Leonty Nikolaevich) - was born into the family of a musician and a teacher. Mother's maiden name is Shkolnikova.
• Larisa Dolina (Kudelman Larisa Aleksandrovna) - was born in Baku. Mother - Kudelman Galina Izrailevna.
• Jasmine. Born into a Jewish family.
• Lolita Milyavskaya (Gorelik Lolita Markovna). My mother is Russian, my father is Jewish, and after a divorce he immigrated to his homeland - Israel.
• Boris Mikhailovich Moiseev - born in prison, mother - a political prisoner (Jewish).
• Mikhail Zakharovich Shufutinsky - was born into a Jewish family.
• Musical group "Bi-2" (Igor Mikhailovich Bortnik, Alexander Nikolaevich Uman). Both participants are Jewish.
• Elena Vorobey (Elena Yakovlevna Lebenbaum) - was born into a Jewish family.
• Maxim Aleksandrovich Galkin is Jewish on his mother’s side.
• Vladimir Natanovich Vinokur - was born into the family of a builder (Natan Lvovich Vinokur) - a Jew.
• Leonidov Maxim Leonidovich - Jew.
• Oleg Mikhailovich Gazmanov. His mother is Jewish.
• Tamara Mikhailovna Gverdtsiteli (Tamriko Gverdtsiteli) is a purebred Jewish woman.
• Marina Arnoldovna Khlebnikova is Jewish.
• Klara Novikova is Jewish.
• Valery Miladovich Syutkin is a Polish resident of Odessa with Jewish roots.

Famous Jews also appear in Russian films:

• Alika Smekhova.
• Ilya Oleynikov.
• Veniamin Smekhov.
• Mikhail Polizeymako.
• Innokenty Smoktunovsky.
• Leonid Filatov.
• Gennady Khazanov.
• Alexander Tsekalo.
• Inna Churikova.
• Leonid Yarmolnik.

All these people are only a small part of the Jews whom everyone in Russia knows and loves. Someone is a great admirer of their talent and charisma, but is not even aware of their Jewish origin.

The list of Jews bearing the title of national heroes of Russia includes almost 200 names. All these people have distinguished themselves before their fatherland and deserve good memory and eternal gratitude. Here are some of them:

1. Dragunsky David Abramovich - Colonel of the Guard.
2. Volynov Boris Valentinovich - colonel.
3. Abramov Shetiel Semenovich - captain of the guard.
4. Barsht Abrek Arkadievich - major.
5. Berezovsky Efim Matveevich - senior lieutenant.
6. Bluvshtein Alexander Abramovich - Major of the Guard.
7. Buber Leonid Ilyich - lieutenant.
8. Vainrub Matvey Grigorievich - Major General.
9. Gelman Polina Vladimirovna - senior lieutenant.
10. Dyskin Efim Anatolyevich - Red Army soldier.

Character. Traits. Temperament

Many people believe that Jewish traits have their own characteristics and fundamental differences from the character traits of other people. The Jewish ethnic group has positive and negative qualities(like any people). Jews are endowed with increased adaptability, they always find their way around a new place with ease and do not experience discomfort. Self-confidence and arrogance - in their language these traits are called the short and succinct word “khutzpa”.

Jews are unusually resistant to any conflicts, cheerful and very smart. All this allows them to achieve extraordinary success in any industry; there is a thirst for knowledge and an increased ability to learn. They always come to the aid of each other, and also oppose themselves to other nations.

Significant contribution to science

Russian Jews have occupied a niche not only in the country's politics, but also in science and art.

• Volfkovich Semyon Isaakovich (chemist) - made a huge contribution to the development of chemistry. Awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree for the development of a technological process for the integrated use of phosphate raw materials with the production of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers, sodium silicofluoride and rare earths.
• Bernstein Sergei Natanovich (mathematician) - his dissertation was devoted to solving Hilbert's problem. He found conditions for the analyticity of solutions to second-order equations of elliptic and parabolic types.
• Ginsburg Vitaly Lazarevich (theoretical physicist) - Nobel laureate, awarded for his contribution to the theory of superconductors and superfluid liquids.
• Leonid Vitalievich Kantorovich (mathematician) - Nobel Prize laureate for his contributions to the theory of optimal resource allocation.

There is one interesting fact about Jews: 1/5 of the winners of the prestigious Nobel Prize are either Jews or have Jewish roots. This once again confirms the strength and power of their unique intelligence.

These people also have a lot of space in art:

• Osip Emilievich Mandelstam is a well-known Russian poet who was born into a Jewish family.
• Isaac Osipovich Dunaevsky is a talented and famous composer of Jewish origin.
• Marshak Samuil Yakovlevich - poet, children's writer (Jew).
• Boris Leonidovich Pasternak is an outstanding and revered poet, Jewish by origin.

Thus, one can notice that Jews in government, science, and art conquer incredible heights and not only succeed, but create a real sensation and revolution.

Persecuted and despised people?

But if they are so smart, successful and talented, then one question inevitably arises: “Why are the Jews a persecuted people?” They are scattered literally all over the world, they tried to destroy them, but despite everything they are alive, moreover, happy and focused on their own great achievements. In fact, the question is rhetorical. Jews who have lived their entire lives in Russia, of course, differ from those who were born on Jewish soil, but still in their words, gestures, and actions there is disdain for “goyim”; it is this unflattering epithet that is awarded to people who are not Jews. Goy is a whole different people. And most often this word has a negative connotation.

"Jew - Janitor"

A Jewish janitor is a short anecdote from distant Soviet times. The point of the joke is that these people have never engaged in such “humiliating” activities; they prefer highly paid and prestigious positions. Pride, arrogance and pride are integral and fundamental traits of Jews. But the moment came when the situation began to change for the worse for them. The famous six-day war, during which Israeli troops defeated the armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and many other Arab countries, became a turning point. A period of mass emigration began. Jews in the USSR were systematically forced out of leadership positions.

For more than 20 years they received refusals, trying to take their place in the sun in the country of the Soviets. To get rid of them, percentage standards for admission to universities were adopted. All these measures led to a powerful movement of Jewish emigration. As a result, hundreds of Jews began to hastily leave the country.

Jewish surnames

Jewish clergy had two very popular titles - Levi and Cohen. These statuses were passed down through the male line (from father to son, etc.). It was these words that served as the product for the formation of a number of surnames common among Jews:

• Kagansky;
• Kaganovich;
• Kaganer;
• Leviticus;
• Levinson;
• Levitan;
• Levitansky;
• Levitin.

More than 3% of the Jewish population bears the surname Cohen, followed by the surname Levi (1.5%).

Many surnames are derived from male given names. If we look at this using a simple example, we can take the Russian name Ivan, add the ending “ov” to it and get the well-known surname Ivanov. The same principle of action applies to the Jews.

In Russia, the suffix “-ovich/-evich” is added to the name, and in some cases “-skiy/-chik”. The resulting surnames are: Yakubovich, Berkovich, Abramovich, Davidovich.

Also popular are the endings “-bain”, “-shtam”, “-son”. (Davidson, Jacobson, Aronshtam, Hirshbein, Mandelstam).

Surnames can also be formed from women's given names. For example, the surname Rivman came from the name Riva, Godelson - from the name Gold, Tsivyan - from the name Tsiva.

In the main Jewish book - the Torah - you can find comparisons of Jews with animals such as a lion, a donkey, a deer, etc. The surname Yehudu is identified with a lion, Naphtali with a deer, Issachar with a strong and hardy donkey.

Appearance can also become a reason for the formation of a surname. Fine is handsome, Shvartsman is black, dark-skinned, Shtarkman has incredible physical strength, there were also funny ones - Humpbacked Man, Big Man, Belenky, etc.

In times of social cataclysms, amazing things are born.myths. The essence of one such MYTH is expressed in just a few words: a Jew is a nationality. A myth introduced into the public consciousness brings nothing but harm. Let's try to figure it out with him.

There is no illegal essence in the word “Jew” taken separately.

From a historical point of view, it arose quite recently in the 15th-16th centuries AD. when the Bible was created by Vatican Jews.

Even earlier, the not very distant ancestors of those who today call themselves Jews were called in all European states by words that were various modifications of the Latin “Judeus”.

In Poland, the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus, Jews are still called Jews, and no one runs to the local or international Jewish court because of this.

And in central Russia, Jews up to the age of 17 were called Jews, Zhidovins.

You never know who doesn't like anything. The word “Yid” is simply the self-name of the community.

Without any influence of the special services, the tsarist secret police, the people treated the Jews so badly that they were forced to replace the self-designation “Jew” with the next and probably not the last self-designation “Jew” that has survived to this day.

Next in line is the word “democrat”...

However, the attitude of the working peoples, the aborigines of their lands, now towards the Jews, could not change in any way from the completely insignificant fact of changing their self-name. After all, the essence does not depend on this operation.

The origin of the word “Jew” is clearly stated by the Jews themselves.

[!!!] In the book “The Old Testament and Its World,” orientalist, Doctor of Historical Sciences Ilya Sholeimovich Shifman writes:

"...belonging to social group“Ivri” (this was the name given to people who had lost social ties and were doomed to vagrancy; hence the modern “Jew”).”

In modern language - homeless, lumpen. Strange. Are there any Jews among them?

Canadian Jews. In the previous photo there are two Yemenite Jews, and in the top one there are Ethiopian Jews.

The phrase “Jewish nationality” sounds even more strange.

The fact is that such a “nationality” was invented immediately after the Jewish Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in 1717.

In the rest of the world: both in the distant past and in ours today, those who profess Judaism are called Jews.

This is a well-known fact in Once again Rabbi of the Moscow Choral Synagogue Adolf Shaevich confirmed in an interview with the Al-Qods newspaper.

Israel is a multinational state of Jews and nothing more.

Otherwise it can not be. There is nothing national between a Bukharan Jew and a Georgian Jew, a Dagestan Jew and a Karelian Jew. Finally, between the now blond white Swedish Jew and the still black African Ethiopian Jew.

Sometimes you hear:

[?] “Of course, today Jews are multinational, having assimilated with surrounding peoples in the process of their wanderings. And before they had a nationality. It’s written so clearly in the Bible.”

Treating with all respect the legends of any people, it should be noted, nevertheless, that the Bible cannot in any way be considered a document that reliably describes the history of the Jewish tribal community, because it is not confirmed by any other historical documents.

There is nothing in Egypt...

There is nothing in Palestine...

[?] All archaeological excavations, initiated and financed by the Jews themselves to prove their non-existent antiquity, use a technique called “anti-logic” in scientific circles.

It is written, for example, in the Bible that in Palestine there were supposedly cities of Jews and cities destroyed by them. Any city found in the sands is declared biblical, by hook or by crook it is attracted to the Jews, “which exhaustively proves the Bible.”

Destroyed cities can be dug up anywhere. What do the Jews have to do with it? In the found remains of the buildings there is no direct evidence that they belong to Jewish themes, and this, although forced, is clearly and accurately stated at the very end of almost every expedition report. The general public learns, however, that “a biblical city has been found, thereby confirming the historical value of the oldest Book on Earth.”

N.A. was the first to draw attention to this fact. Morozov.

Further research inevitably led scientists to the conclusion that before the 15th century AD. the original texts of the Gospels and the Old Testament had nothing to do with the future Jews.

Even before Islam, the Arabs had a tradition of expelling male criminals from cities and villages.

The exiled Arabs were gradually joined by people from Africa.

The two main clans from this community differed from each other due to different original racial material (Arabs + Hindus and Negroes + Hindus).

All clans, immediately after their formation, began active assimilation with the aboriginal indigenous peoples and among themselves.

In the last 200-300 years, certain closed and most orthodox Jewish clans have faced the problem of their obvious genetic degeneration.

The ideology of “God’s chosenness” is passed down in the tribe from generation to generation, not only with the help of tribal books, but, above all, in Jewish families during the natural process of education.

Only the most orthodox Jews go to synagogue and are familiar with their tribal books. However, both of them remain Jews at heart. Arrogance, contempt and disregard for the interests of all other peoples, and sometimes simply hatred for the entire world around them, are openly written on their faces.

By mother, not by father. One of these peoples is the people of Moses. Residents give many reasons why Jewish nationality is passed on through the mother. The article will discuss the most popular versions.

How is a child's nationality determined?

Before considering the above question, what should you know about how a person's nationality is determined? Nationality is a conditional belonging of a person to a certain ethnic group, whose representatives speak the same language, have a common history and culture and observe the same traditions. How is Jewish nationality determined - by father or mother?

Logically, a child from birth belongs to the nationality to which his parents belong. If they are representatives of different nationalities, then nationality is determined in accordance with traditions. For example, in Russia, if the father is Jewish, then the child will be Russian in Russia and Jewish in Israel.

Why are Jews determined by their mother's nationality, while Russians are determined by their father? In many nations, a man is the successor of the family, and his wife and child adopt the traditions and customs by which he and his family live. And since representatives of the same people observe the same customs, it is natural that the child adopts the nationality of the father. There is another explanation: thanks to a man, new life, and it is quite logical that his child is a representative of the same nation as him.

There is another way to determine nationality - physiological, according to which a person’s belonging to any ethnic group is determined by appearance- type and color of hair, skin, eye shape and body build. But this method will not work if the person’s parents are representatives of not one, but several nations. But in this case, he has the right, having become legally capable, to choose the nationality to which he considers himself or even to become a representative of several ethnic groups, a multinational.

But there are times when a child does not know his parents. Then he belongs to the ethnic group in whose territory he lives and whose traditions he observes.

It is also worth noting that the issue of nationality in European countries is less important than in Russia and Israel, where it means citizenship. So how is Jewish nationality determined? Let's look at the most popular versions below.

Biological

The first answer to the question of why Jewish nationality is determined by the mother is that, according to representatives of this people, the body and soul of a child are formed in the womb. Therefore, a woman who is not Jewish from birth cannot give a child a Jewish soul.

Sociological

Similar to the previous version is the one according to which it is believed that the main feature of the Jewish people is its culture. And since the mother is more involved in raising the child than other family members, then his nationality is passed on through the mother.

Religious

According to Halacha, a body of law based on the Torah, Talmud and other rabbinic literature, a Jew cannot marry a woman of another nationality. This is explained by the fact that for a long time it is the mother who influences the formation of the child’s personality and therefore a non-Jewish woman will not be able to raise a true representative of the people who observes all traditions and customs. Therefore, marriage with a foreigner was not only condemned in society, but was also considered a crime before God. But it is worth noting that if a woman accepted Judaism and complied with all its requirements, she and her children were recognized as Jews.

Demographic

Another answer to the question “Why is the nationality of Jews determined by their mother?” sounds like this: Jews, like other peoples, took part in wars and, as a result, many men remained on the battlefield. In order for the nation not to disappear from the face of the Earth, the Jews decided to consider the children of Jewish women from representatives of other nations as their compatriots.

Political

This version is similar to the previous one, but the reason was the wars with the Romans. During the conflict, many Jewish women were captured by the Romans and served as their concubines. In order for children born from the union of Romans and Jewish women to be considered representatives of the Jewish people, a law was passed according to which the nationality of the child was determined by the mother.

Legal

Another answer to the question “Why is the nationality of Jews determined by their mother?” - this is a legal version, according to which the law adopted by the rabbis is a reflection of the law from Roman law. According to it, if there was no marriage between the spouses, then the child inherited the nationality of the mother, not the father.

Alternative

The ancient Jews treated women of other tribes with distrust and fear, because they believed that even if a child is born in marriage, you cannot be completely sure that he is yours, since there is always a minimal risk that a woman could cheat. But motherhood, on the contrary, cannot be doubted. Therefore, those who are interested in why Jewish nationality is determined by their mother should also know about this version.

How to become a Jew?

If suddenly a person discovers that among his relatives there are representatives of the Jewish people, and he wants to become one of them, then he must go through a special ritual - conversion, which includes four stages:

• a conscious and sincere desire to become a devout Jew and to observe the commandments sent by the Almighty - mitzvot;
• be tested for sincerity and knowledge of the Torah by a rabbi;
• undergo circumcision if it is a man;
• immerse yourself in a mikveh - a special pool of water, which is filled according to religious requirements.

If a person has gone through all these stages, then he becomes a Jew.

Jews are aliens. According to various sources, they flew to Earth either from Mars, or from the constellation Scorpio, or from asteroid No. 1181, which is sometimes called Lilith. There seems to be no topic of discussion among people that does not involve Jews. Apparently, theories about aliens could not do without them.

Where did the Jews actually come from? The most widespread document on Earth that covers this issue is the Bible, but the facts presented in it are not considered reliable. Let's turn to a more objective source, for example, to, naturally, to the extent that history itself claims to be objective.

What does history say about the Jews?

It is curious that, despite all the confrontations between science and religion, historical research in this area, as a rule, is carried out based on biblical texts, and, oddly enough, not at all in order to refute them.

On a purely scientific basis, confirmed by archaeological, anthropological, linguistic and other research, the following is known today.

The Mesopotamia region was truly the cradle of earthly civilization. All development processes took place here earlier and faster than in other regions. Animal husbandry, agriculture, and manufacturing first appeared in Mesopotamia. The first cities arose here and metal was first discovered. There really were the cities of Ur and Harran, as well as cities whose names are consonant with the names of Abraham's ancestors - Falig (Peleg), Sarugi (Segug), Nahor (Nachor) and Turaki (Terah). In this territory there was originally one language, which from about the 14th century. BC. began to divide into many dialects.

Jews are one of the peoples of the Semitic group. Their ancestors are considered to be the Amorites, among whom proper names were common - Abram, Isaac, Jacob, as well as the names of his sons. In the first half of the 18th century. BC. in the territory of Upper Mesopotamia, as a result of the wars that took place there, strict administrative rule was introduced in an attempt to subjugate the tribal unions living on these lands. Some Amorite tribes refused to carry out the duties prescribed to them, and went west beyond the Euphrates. These tribes began to be called Ibrim - “passed over”, in the singular Ibri, which later transformed into Ivri. These were the first Jews.

Jewish genetics

Recent studies conducted at American universities have once again confirmed the biblical version of the origin of the Jews. According to these studies, 5 thousand years ago there were no peoples in their modern sense. In the 2nd millennium BC. Arabs and Jews represented a single genotype in the male line, then they separated. All three main ethnic groups that exist today – Sephardim, Mizrahi and Ashkenazim – are genetically similar to each other and descend from common Middle Eastern roots. As you can see, the earthly origin of the Jews is completely justified and scientifically confirmed.

Jewish question

Then why are Jews always singled out from the general mass, so much so that someone begins to see them as aliens, and why does Jewish topics arouse such keen interest, without exaggeration, among the entire world community? This question is as ancient as the Jews themselves, but one thing can always be traced in it - humanity is so interested in Jews that it constantly demands and expects something from them.

Today no one doubts that any person, like any nation, has its own specific function in this world. And the answer to the eternal question can be found if you try to determine it from this perspective. By the way, this is not so difficult to do - in the Bible this mission is spelled out in literally every chapter.

The Chosenness of the Jews

Nowadays it is difficult to even imagine Jews as... This is a multitude of ethnic groups that are different in language, mentality and skin color; it is simply impossible to bring them under any definition of a people.

But there is something that has united all these different and dissimilar people for thousands of years - this is faith in the One Creator, who gave people the Torah, faith in the unity of the Universe, which is built on love for one’s neighbor.

And the Jews also have one memory, common to all. The memory of standing under Mount Sinai. When people, having completely surrendered themselves to the will of the Almighty, rallied their souls and destinies together, and became like one person with one heart. This was the birth of the people.

Today the world is rapidly entering new, still unknown, forms of its development, and the time is coming when the people of Israel, the state of unity received at Sinai and now forgotten, must revive within themselves again and pass it on to all humanity. It is in this, and in nothing else, that his function lies, and it is for this purpose that he was once chosen.

Semyon Shoikhet