Why Are We Called the "Jewish" People? (January-February 2007)

The people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have historically been identified using several names: "Hebrews," "Israelites," and "Jewish." Where did these names come from? What do they tell us about our character as a people?

Students of American Jewish history will remember that people of the Jewish faith were referred to as "Hebrews" or "Israelites" when they first came to this country. The reason is that these two labels are Biblical. The founders of what would become a United States of America, who came to this country in search of religious liberty, had read about Jews and knew that they were the children of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.

The word "Hebrew," was in fact used to refer to Abraham, who was called the "Ivri." The rabbis say that the root of the word is "contrary to," meaning that Abraham stood for a principle, monotheism—that was against the religious norm. He was the consummate minority who was proud of his beliefs, even though it meant persecution. We the people of Abraham have lived up to this name and the consequences by continuing to believe in one God and in the goodness of all people.

We are also known as Israelites because we are the children of Israel, a term that refers to Abraham's grandson Jacob. Jacob, you recall, wrestled with God's messenger as a way of proving his loyalty to God and asserting his right to continue following in his grandfather's footsteps. Being in the minority often produces doubt and in order to accept a minority status, we must be confident—sometimes over confident—in our decision to follow in the ways of our ancestors. We the children of Israel have lived up to this name because we often have to fight for what we believe, lest those who hate us fulfill their dream of annihilating us.

And finally, we are called members of the "Jewish" faith, the name by which we are now currently referred to. We acquire this name after one of Jacob's sons, Yehuda (Judah) who acquired his reputation not only as an upholder of the faith, not only as a fighter, but also as a person who was willing to admit his mistakes. This personal revelation came to him as he admitted to his disguised brother Joseph that he was wrong in what he had attempted to do to his brother Joseph and that he is now ready to take responsibility for his misguided actions—namely, to offer himself up as a servant in lieu of his brother Benjamin. We the children of Judah have lived up to this name because we not only stand up for our principles, not only fight for what we believe, but also humble ourselves and admit when we are wrong.

If you look for an answer as to how the Jewish people have survived all these years, you can point to the fact that we have lived up to our names. We stood up for our beliefs despite enormous ridicule and prejudice, we fought for what we believed despite the fierce antagonism of our enemies, and we weren't ashamed to admit when we were wrong.

Many people in the world have admired us for sticking to these principles. And I think the philosophies that underlie them are important to discuss with our children, who often ask, "What does Judaism really stand for?" and "What benefit can there be in remaining identified with the Jewish people?"

I, for one, am proud to be a Hebrew, an Israelite, and a Jew. We can stand tall knowing that we come from good stock, that we have principles to follow, and that we try our best to live by them.

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