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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (120504)	11/26/2003 8:19:39 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I don't understand why segregation is important, except for religious reasons, like living in a neighborhood where you can walk to the synagogue on Friday. The goal of living in a place where everybody is the same as you is typically called "ethnic cleansing."

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (120504)	11/26/2003 3:53:00 PM
From: Larry Loeb	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

You've brought up a controversial issue: Judaism as an ethnicity versus a religion. You may find it interesting that the definition of what qualifies a person as a Jew for the right of return in Israel is based on Hitler's definition for who should be sent to the camps (I think it's having one grandparent who is Jewish). The reason for this definition is to provide a haven for those who would be persecuted for their heritage. Judaism, however, is a religion. You cannot convert into an ethnicity. Anyone can convert to Judaism. As for the politics in Israel, the multi-party parliamentary system - where no party has held a majority for quite some time - creates many strains on domestic policies. The "religious" influence tends to be expressed in funding for Jewish scholars and exemptions from military service for those scholars. There is, however, no tension between Judaism and democracy. They are wholly compatible. Heck, there's not even a single religious authority, like a Pope, within the Jewish faith! At least that's my point of view. Larry Loeb