[Lucy-H22662]

Whether or not Jews are considered a minority group depends on what you mean by minority. People use words incorrectly all the time. A person cannot be a minority, but they can be a part of a minority group. This means that the person is part of a group that the majority of people in the society do not belong to. This can be a religious or ethnic group. It can also refer to political or social groups. If you think about it, everyone belongs to a minority group of some sort. I am a woman in a profession where the majority of the people are men, so I am in the minority.

User Detail :  

Name : Lucy-H22662, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Steve B.]

I noticed on a previous posting on the Y? Forum a person of the Jewish faith who claimed to be a "minority." If Jews are considered a minority, I think it's remarkable that I've lived 42 years and never seen them referred as such. Is this a new, widely-held destinction or just this person's own opinion? I've always heard them referred to by themselves and others as "white." I always thought that Jewish people were a separate ethnic, religious and cultural group as opposed to a racial or minority group. I realize the Semitic and Mediterranean bloodlines, but the whiteness of the group makes them white, much like Italians, Irish or Germans. I'm wondering if very many Jewish people regard themselves as a minority.

User Detail :  

Name : Steve B., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 42, City : Warrensburg, State : MO Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Andrew]

Obviously, most Jews are white and in that sense are not minorities. But in an overwhelmingly Christian society, Jews are certainly minorities in some sense. The sense of exclusion and alienation may not be as intense and as constant as it is for blacks or homosexuals, but when the world stops for Christmas and Easter but not for Yom Kippur and Passover, we know how it feels to be the visiting team in the ballpark.

User Detail :  

Name : Andrew, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 35, City : Huntington, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Reporter, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Bacr23460]

Don't know what the subject of the original reference was, but I, too, am surprised you've never heard this before. In MY 42 years, I've heard it plenty. It is usually in the context of how Jewish census numbers (if you will) stack up against those of other religious/cultural groups. But thanks for being one of the few - Jews included - who has some understanding of the difference between my skin color and my religion/culture!

User Detail :  

Name : Bacr23460, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 42, City : Seymour, State : CT Country : United States, 

[Author]

Posts