Is Judaism a Religion?

Throughout the ages, people have debated whether Judaism is a religion, a culture, or a nationality…and where Israel fits into the mix. In fact, the Jewish experience encompasses all of these.
While different denominations such as Reform, Modern Orthodox, or Haredi Jews may focus on different elements to define how they relate to their Judaism, there is a shared understanding that despite these differences, Jews still make up one Peoplehood based on so much more than just religion.

This series is part of a partnership with the Z3 Project. More about their work can be found at www.z3project.org/

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:33 What is "Religion"?
00:52 What is "Culture" and "Nationality"?
01:03 Is Judaism a religion, a culture, or a nationality?
01:22 How is Judaism different from Christianity?
01:56 Infusion of Jewish law into everyday life
02:23 Modern nation-states and national laws
02:34 Confining Jewish law to the private sphere
02:53 The Pittsburgh Platform: refocusing Judaism as a religion only
03:29 Pushback from the Neo-Orthodox and Conservative Movements
04:07 Rejection by the Zionist Movement
04:36 Rejection by the Haredi Movement
05:15 Contextualizing the debates over Judaism today
05:44 Judaism has always been more than just a religion
06:10 Outro

Subscribe and turn on your notifications so you don’t miss future uploads!
youtube.com/UNPACKED?sub_confirmation=1

Check out the other episodes here:
   • Big Jewish Ideas | Unpacked  

Recommended series — “Zionism Revisited"
   • The True Origins of Modern Zionism | ...  

Let’s connect:
Website — www.Unpacked.media/
Instagram — www.instagram.com/jewishunpacked
Twitter — twitter.com/jewishunpacked
TikTok — www.tiktok.com/@jewishunpacked
Facebook — www.facebook.com/jewishunpacked

---------
Bronze Level:
– Ellen and Richard Sandler
---------
Image and Footage credits:

Kevin Beaty
EHillel
Nicole Hanna
HebrewBooks.org
Israel Film Archive - Carmel Newsreel
Israel Film Archive - Geva Newsreel
Israel GPO
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Rabbi Hillel, Beth Jacob Synagogue
Joods Cultureel Kwartier
Ken Klein
Library of Congress
Myshi
The National Library of Israel
Pexels - Cottonbro
Pexels - Ganta Srinivas
Pexels - Kadima
Pexels - Rodnae Productions
Rijksmuseum
The Russian Museum of Ethnography
The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
Storyblocks
Temple Emanu-El NYC
TravelLiveCC
United Artists
Unsplash - Levi Meir Clancy
Unsplash - Justin Lim
US Embassy Jerusalem
USHMM
---------
About Big Jewish Ideas: Understand some “Big Jewish Ideas” through an examination of what it means to be Jewish in today’s world. This series raises crucial questions about peoplehood, Jewish identity, education and community, challenging anyone who’s curious to think about them deeply. We take a look into buzzword Jewish concepts like shabbat, Tikkun Olam, and more.

About Unpacked: We provide nuanced insights by unpacking all things Jewish. People are complex and complicated — yet we’re constantly being pushed to oversimplify our world. At Unpacked we know that being complex makes us more interesting. Because of this, we break the world down with nuance and insight to drive your curiosity and challenge your thinking.

#Peoplehood #Judaism #Zionism