“Is Judaism a nationality?” by Hailie P.

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On December 11, 2019 Donald Trump signed and executive order to target anit-semitism on college campuses. This order falls under VI of the Civil Rights Act which is seen to talk about race, ethnicity, and nationality. However this act is not about religion. This brings up the controversial question of should Judaism be considered as more than a religion, is it a nationality?

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Judaism being defined as a nationality might not seem like the biggest problem for most people. However, many Jews feel as it is only segrating them. Rabbi Here Peason states, “It feels dangerous...I’ve heard many people say this feels like the first step to us wearing yellow stars.” Many others have come forward also suggesting that Judaism shouldn’t be considered a nationality or race due to the many different people that can be Jewish.  If Judaism is to be considered a race it would be implying that all Jews have a shared national origin. This new order is seen to bring many more questions to the already confusing questions of if Judaism is more than just a religion.

Despite many Jews being against being considered a nationality there are many that think maybe this will be a positive thing. The new Trump order that puts Judaism's stance in question will make it to where Jews will face an anti-discrimination law. This law would help to protect them and put Jews in a safer space to continue their lives. The law would make it to where they are entitled to their protection. The New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades states, “The executive order effectively brings Judaism under the umbrella of race and national origin, not just a religion, for the purpose of civil rights law enforcement.” This quote suggest that the executive order Trump signed wasn’t directly implying that Judaism was a nationality it was just using that term in order to ensure protection and wellbeing.

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The debate over if Judaism is a nationality might be new in the news today, but it actually has been around for a long time. Many times throughout history it has been brought to the attention of the world, only to be shot down or received as a dividing factor in accepting Judaism. However, recently with the Trump administration signing the order it is now seen as an accepted ideal and Judaism is now being looked at as its own race.

No matter the side that Jewish followers are on regarding nationality many people praise that the government is trying to find ways to help their minority citizens. Although Jewish citizens only take up a small portion of the population anti-semitism is a suprisingly popular issus. This problem can be seen on many college campuses and the new order is in place to hompfully end alot of the discrimination that is being done. No one knows for sure if this will help, but it is a step toward the ultimate goal of ending anti-semtism.

Work Cited
 
Baker, Peter, and Maggie Haberman. “Trump Targets Anti-Semitism and Israeli Boycotts on College Campuses.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Dec. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/us/politics/trump-antisemitism-executive-order.html.

Donald, Heather Mac, et al. “Opposing Anti-Semitism the Wrong Way.” City Journal, 18 Dec. 2019, www.city-journal.org/executive-order-anti-semitism.

Palma, Bethania. “Did President Trump Redefine Judaism as a Nationality?” Snopes.com, www.snopes.com/news/2019/12/13/trump-executive-order-judaism/.

Zauzmer, Julie. “Is Judaism an Ethnicity? A Race? A Nationality? Trump Signs an Order and Provokes an Identity Crisis.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 Dec. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2019/12/19/is-judaism-an-ethnicity-race-nationality-trump-signs-an-order-provokes-an-identity-crisis/.

Comments

  1. Joseph C.December 20, 2019 at 12:12 PM

    I think that this will do more help than harm. I think that by officially saying Judaism is a nationality we will be able to help end anti-antisemitism. I also understand why some people are against it, by them being a nationality they are able to be branded and immigration laws can affect things. I think that as long as we understand why this act was passed, everything will be fine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 20, 2019 at 12:37 PM

    As divided as followers of Judaism is about this, I think it will ultimately be in their benefit over time. This just gives them a better ability to defend themselves. Jewish people have come under attack from anti-Semites in the past during events like the six-day-war and the Arab Israeli War, and had united together almost like a nationality in an effort to overcome it. A Jewish nationality may be able to prevent further conflict in the future, who knows?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 20, 2019 at 1:01 PM

    I think that this new executive order will be beneficial and was created to help the Jewish people. Even though many people are against it, it is there to help them. After many years of mistreatment and hatred towards Jewish people, it seems that this is a great way to help end anti-semitism. I do not see many other ways to help Jews fight off anti-semitism that will be as impactful as this new order.

    ReplyDelete

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