What Shapes Jewish Identity?

Outline

What is Jewish Identity?How did it develop?What shapes it today? What is our response?

What is Jewish identity? Unpacking the question

– An issue with an agenda– Like the question “Who is a Jew?”

1. Survival2. Religion3. Defence

Why is it important?

“The source of so many failures in evangelical efforts to ‘convert’ Jews is the narrow fundamentalist definition of what constitutes Jewishness”(Horowitz - Jewish Survival)

Defining personal identity

How is individual identity formed?

How does religious identity develop?

Erikson's 8 Ages0-2 Trust2-4 Autonomy4-6 Initiative6-12 Industry13-19 IDENTITY20-30 Intimacy30-60 Responsibility65-? Integrity

What is ethnic identity?

A social way of organising cultural difference

A combination of ancestry, territory, language and culture

Identity markers shift

What is Jewish identity?

Religious, ethnic or both?“A multiplexed phenomenon moving in

a variety of historical as well as structural directions”

Jewish Identity Stages

Covenant 2000-1250

Settlement 1250-500

Rabbinism 500-500

Diaspora 500-1800

Emancipation 1800-1945

Postmodernity 1945-1999

World Jewish Population

World, Israel and Diaspora Population

“Core and Peripheral Jews”

1

3

2

4

1. Jews

2. Non-Jewish

family of 1.

3. “Former

Jews”

4. Non-Jewish

family of 3.

USA Denominational Links

Types of Jewish Identity

Normative/Traditional 2 millionEthnicity/Communal 6 millionCultural Residue 4 million Dual Jewish/Non-Jewish 1 million

Seven Factors

PopulationGeography

– Diaspora/Israel ImmigrationPolitics ReligionPostmodernityMessianic movementMessiah

Conclusion

Jewish identity both religious and ethnic

All identity flawed without the Messiah

See Him clearly before we see ourselves

“What shapes Jewish Identity?”

is available at

www.mmjt.eu Copies of the paper are available from the

Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism

email: lcje-int@post3.tele.dk