"
Who is a Jew?" ( ) is a basic question about
Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish
self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which have
cultural,
religious,
political,
genealogical, and
personal dimensions. The definition of who is a Jew varies according to whether it is being considered by Jews based on normative religious statutes or self-identification, or by non-Jews for other reasons. Because Jewish identity can include characteristics of an
ethnicity, a religion, or conversion, the definition depends on many aspects that must be considered.