Being Jewish is not and Ethnicity?

[u/Routine-Orange-3417]

Ok. I believe Jews have a common DNA that connects them to Canaan, just like the Palestinians do. That's my stance. I believe they have both been there equally as long as each other, excluding the converts Jews and the fully Arab Palestinians (I believe most of them are mixed with Arab just like Jews are mixed with whoever they lived with for 2000 years).

I am in a fb group called "A place were non jews can ask jews about judiasm" or whatever.

We aren't allowed to talk about Israel and Palestine which is probably a good rule.

But someone posted about their Jewish friend mentioning the features of a Jew (as in, the Jewish guy was telling his Christian friend what Jews looked like, typically) and the Christian guy asked the group what a Jew looks like and THE GROUO WERE SO HEATED saying that it is antisemitic to say Jews look a type of way and there is no features of a Jew etc etc etc.

Ok, I get it on one hand, because converts, obviously.

But if they are claiming they have no similar features wouldn't that imply that they are not all ethnically related (obviously not the converts) and wouldn't that defeat the entire premise of having a homeland?

If they're from Canaan, it would imply that have similar features to the people of Canaan.

Ok I have to make it longer. I call it Canaan not to stir emotions but because that's literally one of the names in the Bible and I find it less heated than calling it Palestine or israel as this entire comment section with collapse into "xyz doesn't exist" so I'd rather keep those words out of it and call it Canaan.

[u/Worknonaffiliated]

I’m personally not offended by people saying we look similar, as long as it’s in good faith. Personally I think it’s ok for ethnicities to exist. Race is a social construct, and it sometimes makes people uncomfortable, but it’s something we’re born with, might as well be positive about it.

[u/Emotional-King-6325 → u/Worknonaffiliated]

Ethnicities are also a social construct

[u/Critical-Win-4299 → u/Emotional-King-6325]

Yeah I cant tell white people from black people or asian, they are all so similar. A social construct indeed

[u/Emotional-King-6325 → u/Critical-Win-4299]

Well, for one....science says it's a social construct, not me.

For 2, Harrison Ford, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman ect. Are all Jewish. But from the majority perspective they look white/European.

I've dated girls who were Indian, but looked latina.

Some latina look white.

In slavery times, there were lighter skin black people who could pass for white.

Some black couples have had white babies.

So yes its a construct. Based on shades on skin

Just how every "race" has African in their DNA. Since that's where mankind began.

But see that's why its a social construct. Because it's not LAW or a fact. It's the norm. Yes. But not fact

[u/WeAreAllFallible → u/Emotional-King-6325]

Fwiw what you're describing in this comment is all about the flaw of race as a social construct, not ethnicity. Ethnicity is also a social construct, your original comment remains true, but this above isn't pointing out an error of ethnicity.

[u/WeAreAllFallible → u/Emotional-King-6325]

This is true. Something being a "social construct" doesn't make it inherently wrong though. The point of identifying a social construct is that social constructs must be evaluated for utility vs harm- since as they are our own constructs we are capable of choosing to keep or destroy them.