Informed Judaism: Difference between revisions

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This has an element of [[Truth in Television]]: Some Jews in countries where they've been able to assimilate increasingly practice their religion only on the most important holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), and only celebrate Chanukah to have a winter holiday. They don't keep Kosher or observe the Sabbath. A practitioner of Reform or Reconstructionist Judaism—quite common in America—is especially likely to disregard most forms of Jewish ritual, including the Kosher laws. "High Holy Days Jews" are the Jewish equivalents of "Christmas-and-Easter Christians." That said, even many of these still show the [[Judaism|cultural aspects]] of Judaism, often missing from these characters.

[[wikipedia:Who is a Jew?|It is also true that Jews are not only people who practice Judaism]]. Generally, in modern secular usage, Jews include three groups: '''people who were born to a Jewish family regardless of whether or not they follow the religion, those who have some Jewish ancestral background or lineage (sometimes including those who do not have strictly matrilineal descent), and people without any Jewish ancestral background or lineage who have formally converted to Judaism and therefore are followers of the religion.''' Therefore, someone can be a Jew and no one else would know unless they asked. Many Jews do not do any religious rituals, and some even have Christmas trees ("Chanukkah bush").

[[wikipedia:Who is a Jew?|It is also true that Jews are not only people who practice Judaism]]. Generally, in modern secular usage, Jews include three groups:

* People who were born to a Jewish family regardless of whether or not they follow the religion

* Those who have some Jewish ancestral background or lineage (sometimes including those who do not have strictly matrilineal descent)

* People without any Jewish ancestral background or lineage who have formally converted to Judaism and therefore are followers of the religion.

Therefore, someone can be a Jew and no one else would know unless they asked. Many Jews do not do any religious rituals, and some even have Christmas trees ("Chanukkah bushes").

[[Fan Fiction]] often subjects these characters to extreme [[Flanderization]].