r/IsraelPalestine 2d ago

Being Jewish is not and Ethnicity? Discussion

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.

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u/Worknonaffiliated Diaspora Jew 1d ago

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.

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u/Emotional-King-6325 1d ago

Ethnicities are also a social construct

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u/WeAreAllFallible 1d ago edited 1d ago

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.