Must one be Caucasian in order to be Jewish? Or is it at least a big help?

One might consider Jewish people "Caucasian", but they are "Caucasian" in the same sense that North Africans or Arabs are "Caucasian". Dispite what the US Government has on it's census, most "White Americans" do not consider Arabs or North Africans white. Although the Jewish religion has a history tracing some of it's origins to ancient Israel, the ethnic makeup of these people was vastly different than the ethnic makeup of Jewish people today. Over the 2 thousand years of living in Europe, all of the semetic Jewish people who were living in Europe became interbred with the population of their host countries. Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardi Jews bred with the populations in the German and Spanish speaking areas of Europe resp., before they were expelled. Supposedly many European Jews are also descendants of the Khazars. They are of mixed ethnicity, although for many the European part seems more pronounced superficially. Jewish people were often not wanted in their host countries, so their constant migrations caused them to become very mixed. "White" Jewish people are still part semetic - their ethnicties are always different than those of the host countries they lived in in Europe.

There are actually quite a few Mexican Jews--many of them come from families that have been here since Cortez; the majority of them are Sephardics who fled the Spanish Inquisition. Here's an article where you can read about them (1).

I think that you only live in an area where most Jews *are* white-- you are probably either American or European--that is because the predominant Jewish populations in the US and in Europe tend to be the Ashkenazim--the Jews that ended up in Europe during the diaspora. They tend to have lighter features than other Jewish groups. However, there is no one skin color/culture/ethnicity that defines us--you have African Jews, Yemeni Jews, Kefung Jews, Karachi Jews, exc.

Jewish people tend to be close-knit, and most of us ARE genetically related to each other. But genes do not make the Jewish identity. Jews define themselves in three ways:

1. Birth to a Jewish MOTHER.

2. Adoption into the Jewish religion, via conversion (so, if a Mexican goy wanted to become Jewish, he could, if he wanted to, convert)

3. Must not practice a religion that is not Judaism.

Hope this helps

Peace

I know a few black Jews that follow the same laws as the rest of us. There is a group called black hebrews, they are not Jewish. Any person of any nation who is serious and willing to accept the rules can become Jewish. I recently heard about a Mexican church in Texas (I think it was) that the pastor became Jewish and converted half of the congregation.

the mum must be Jewish or if neither mothers and dads are Jewish then you ought to have long undergone a regarded attitude of conversion. i've got faith there develop right into a contemporary case thinking the right of return in coping with Messianic Jews the place in basic terms the father develop into Jewish. The Church of Messianic Judaism is a Christian church yet this subject develop into coping with the persons. there is not any argument that helps Messianic Judaism as having something to do with Judaism. edit: Lizard is stable. I stand corrected.

Jews come in all varieties. I know of African Jews, Asian Jews, South American Jews, North American Jews, European Jews and even Australian Jews. I do not, however, know of any who make Antartica their home. I think it may be an oversight, ot at least a lack of day schools and Kosher markets.

I had the pleasure of attending schuls in Harlem where almost all the congregants were of African descent. I know a famous writer in Chicago who is Black and Jewish. I also caught a minyan in Tel Aviv that was Ethiopian. Go figure.

Sorry but you've misunderstood a bit :)

There are Jews of ALL ethnicities and nationalities.

Japanese Jews.

Chinese Jews.

Mexican Jews.

Yemenite Jews.

Swedish Jews.

Italian Jews.

Ethiopian Jews.

Indian Jews.

British Jews.

Norwegian Jews.

Brazilian Jews.

We come in ALL colours, sizes, shades and shapes.

Anyone who wants to is welcome to convert to Judaism.

Laughing out Loud !!!!!!!!!!

Did you know that there are Black Jews from Birth ?????

LOL

Sorry for laughing !

It's just weird how little we understand of the Jewish people or their Religious beliefs !

EDIT: I like Hudie's answer !

The Jews spent a lot of time in Europe. It shows.

Race is not a requirement.

Lots of Jewish people are Israeli and not of Caucasian decent...

no, you don't have to be white to be a Jew.................in Judahism there are some differences between different regions

Sephardic Jews are still Jews, and theirs is slightly different from the Ashkenazic Jews, who are still Jews, who are slightly different from the Yemanite Jews who are still Jews

Judahism is a large spectrum, it is NOT race based