Who is a Jew

Description

Since its establishment in occupied Palestine in 1948, the Zionist movement has faced a complex, multi-layered religious and political issue: the question of Jewish identity and the definition of a Jew. This question is often posed in Israeli and Western political and media discourse as: “Who is a Jew?” This book attempts to shed light on this issue by examining it from historical, social, political, and religious perspectives.

The book begins with a historical overview of the emergence of diverse Jewish identities around the world, stemming from the cultural realities of the societies in which Jewish communities live. It then presents a map of contemporary Jewish identities, including the new Jewish identity in modern Western societies and the Orthodox religious definition of Jewish identity.

Finally, the book addresses Zionist arguments based on the unfounded claim that Jews are one people and that Zionism is synonymous with Jewish nationalism. The book then demonstrates how the ethnic and racial reality of Zionist settlers in occupied Palestine, and of Jews worldwide, challenges these claims, revealing their reductionist nature, falsehood, and deception.

In the second edition, Al-Masiri added two new chapters: one titled “The Difference Between Reform and Conservative Religious Thought and Orthodox Thought,” and the other “Who is a Jew in 1998?”