Still a single Jewish people? http://blogs.jta.org/ENTRY_PERMALINK_HERE/still-a-single-jewish-people/ Commentary on the Israeli media’s coverage of last month’s G.A.—or lack thereof—elicited a storm of responses from readers. en-us uheilman@jta.org Copyright 2008 2008-12-03T;20:40:00-05:00 Comment by Pete pete_eriksen@yahoo.com Assume mixing Jewish nationalism and religion within host nations is a problem. Then 3 possible solutions follow.. (1) Takes the religion out of Jewish nationalism. (2) Takes the nationalism out of the Jewish religion. (3) Takes the Jewish nation out of host nations. Here are their proponents: (1) Humanistic Judaism http://www.shj.org/mission.htm [[SHJ Philosophy.. ...A Jew is someone who identifies with the history, culture and future of the Jewish people. ..Judaism is the historic culture of the Jewish people.]] (B) Reform Judaism http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/1885.htm “Declaration of Principles 1885 Pittsburgh Platform 5.. We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community..” (C) Zionism “From the perspective of Zionism, this country does not belong to its citizens, but rather to the Jewish people. I recognize one definition of a nation: a group of people that wants to live in sovereignty over itself. But most of the Jews in the world have no desire to live in the State of Israel, even though nothing is preventing them from doing so. Therefore, they cannot be seen as a nation.” - Prof. Shlomo Sand, Tel Aviv University historian writing in “Matai ve’ech humtza ha’am hayehudi?” ("When and How the Jewish People Was Invented?"). Assume mixing Jewish nationalism and religion within host nations is a problem. Then 3 possible solutions follow..
(1) Takes the religion out of Jewish nationalism.
(2) Takes the nationalism out of the Jewish religion.
(3) Takes the Jewish nation out of host nations.
Here are their proponents:
(1) Humanistic Judaism
http://www.shj.org/mission.htm
[[SHJ Philosophy..
...A Jew is someone who identifies with the history, culture and future of the Jewish people.
..Judaism is the historic culture of the Jewish people.]]

(B) Reform Judaism
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/1885.htm
“Declaration of Principles
1885 Pittsburgh Platform
5.. We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community..”

(C) Zionism
“From the perspective of Zionism, this country does not belong to its citizens, but rather to the Jewish people. I recognize one definition of a nation: a group of people that wants to live in sovereignty over itself. But most of the Jews in the world have no desire to live in the State of Israel, even though nothing is preventing them from doing so. Therefore, they cannot be seen as a nation.”
- Prof. Shlomo Sand, Tel Aviv University historian writing in “Matai ve’ech humtza ha’am hayehudi?” ("When and How the Jewish People Was Invented?").

]]> 2012-02-09T;19:12:00-05:00 Comment by John Hanks portage@uwyo.edu Is a Jewish crook still a Jew?  Does it really matter what one professes to believe or what traditions seem important?  But, an observant crook?  Is he still a Jew?  Is Henry Kissinger a Jew, though he killed millions? Is a Jewish crook still a Jew?  Does it really matter what one professes to believe or what traditions seem important?  But, an observant crook?  Is he still a Jew?  Is Henry Kissinger a Jew, though he killed millions?

]]> 2012-02-09T;19:12:00-05:00