"Who is a Jew?" (Hebrew: מיהו יהודי ) is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which themselves have cultural, religious, genealogical, and personal dimensions. The question was of importance during the rule of the Nazi party in Germany and was addressed by the Nuremberg Laws.
The definition of who is a Jew varies according to whether it is being considered by Jews based on normative religious statutes, self-identification, or by non-Jews for other reasons. Because Jewish identity can include characteristics of an ethnicity, a religion, and citizenship, the definition of who is a Jew has varied, depending on whether a religious, sociological, or ethnic aspect was being considered. The issue has given rise to legal controversy, especially in Israel, but also outside of Israel. There have been court cases in Israel since 1962 which have had to address the question. Also, a United Kingdom court has had to consider whether the question was a racial issue, in the case R(E) v Governing Body of JFS (2009).
According to the simplest definition used by Jews for self-identification, a person is a Jew by birth, or becomes one through religious conversion. However, there are differences of opinion among the various branches of Judaism in the application of this definition, including:
- Mixed parents: i.e. whether a person of mixed Jewish and non-Jewish parents should be considered Jewish.
- Conversion: i.e. what processes of conversion should be considered valid.
- Historical loss of Jewish identity: i.e. whether a person's or group's actions (such as conversion to a different religion) or circumstances in his or her community's life (such as being unaware of Jewish parents) should affect his or her status as Jewish or non-Jewish.
- Diaspora identity: identity of Jews among themselves, and by non-Jews throughout the Jewish diaspora.
- Claim to Israeli citizenship: the examination of the previous issues in the context of the Basic Laws of Israel.
Read more about Who Is A Jew?: Tannaitic Judaism, Contemporary Judaism, Legal Structure in Israel, Other Definitions, Israelite Identity Loss Claims