Do you capitalize the word "Jewish"? Learn the rules (2023)

Knowing how to capitalize has to be one of the essential rules of writing. It will set you apart from other writers as long as you know how to use the terms, phrases, and words.

Always remember to capitalize race, nationality and religion. When you mention the word "Jewish," you are not referring to just one ethnicity, race, or religion. The term "Jewish" can be all three! In other words, it should always be capitalized.

We understand the importance of having good writing skills. Therefore we will see definitions and information related to the word "Jewish". Before we proceed, however, we would like to point out the rule of always capitalizing religion, race and nationalities.

Why should we always capitalize nationality, race and religion?

Race, nationalities, and religions should be capitalized to indicate they are used as proper nouns, which is a "unique" definition of names. Some examples of these three terms can be:

• Latino
• Swedish
• Hindu
• Christian
• American
• African American
• Buddhist
• French
• Caucasian

However, these rules may not apply to some informal "racial" terms such as "black" or "white" as they could refer to racism and unofficial slang. Why should I use capital letters?

Remember to use capital letters to mark an important word, title, phrase, names, official titles, countries, etc. Don't worry if your friend doesn't capitalize words correctly when the two of you are talking on a chat app. We can say that in an unofficial conversation we "are allowed" to break some rules. Still, remember, whether you're writing an important essay or helping a friend with their homework, you should always make an effort to write correctly and capitalize the words without having to think twice. If you follow these rules, your boss, family, and even a friend will know that you've studied and worked hard to develop your grammar skills.

Who are Jews?

Jews are descendants of the ancient Hebrew people, often referred to as the "Child of Abraham," they are also related to the traditional religion called Judaism.

Can I still be called "Jewish" even if I was born outside of Israel?

According to Jewish law, a Jew is any boy or girl born of a Jewish woman. It doesn't matter whether you were born in South America or Antarctica. If your mother is Jewish, you can consider yourself Jewish regardless of your personal beliefs.

A good example would be the Jews who were born before the founding of Israel in 1948.

Descendants and religious followers were called Jews by Germans during World War II as a discriminatory term.

Ex:

• "The Nazis had captured more than three hundred Jews when the Americans arrived."
• "Almost all shops in Austria and Poland are from Jews."
• "My father told me I wasn't allowed to play with Jewish children."
• "In my country there are more than two thousand Jews."
• "I have Hispanic, African American, and Jewish friends.

Why is Jewish considered a race?

While some experts do not view the Jews as a race, it is known that they were treated as a race when they were marginalized and mistreated by a substantial segment of the European people many years ago in the late 1930's and 1940's. European armies eliminated a large group of Jews. More than six million Jews suffered death, starvation and were sent to concentration camps.

This group ran to other nations outside of Europe to escape persecution and still managed to be treated unequally by different races and people.

Why is Judaism considered a religion?

Jewish as a religion comes from the term "Judaism," which is directly a religion founded in East Asia by a group of people who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (later called Israel). This group of people originally came from East Asia. They hailed from the kingdom of Judah, one of the sons of Israel, and are the origin of the word Judaism, which is 100 percent related to officialReligionof the Jewish people.

Example:

• "There are more than six million Jews in Israel."
• "In my class there are Jews, Hindus and Christians."
• "My boyfriend is Jewish and I'm an atheist."
• "My father tried to convince me to follow the Jewish religion."
• "This is a Jewish church."

Is "Jewish" considered a language?

Jewish is not a language. However, it is good to mention that there are "Jewish languages" which are made up of the languages ​​that come from the Jewish culture, the Jewish land, the Jewish religion and the Jewish race. Some of the most important are Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, Judeo-Arabic and Djudezmo, commonly known as Judeo-Spanish.

Although Jewish is not considered a language, some people informally refer to it as a language, for example:

• "He spoke 'Jewish' even though we were in Italian class."
• "My children are learning "Jewish" and Spanish."
• "In the mid-1940s, Germans were not allowed to speak 'Jewish'.
• "Some of my Arab friends can also speak 'Jewish'."
• "Do these girls speak 'Jewish'?

What is the origin of the English word "Jew"?

The English word "Jew" comes from the Hebrew word "Yehudi," meaning "associated with the kingdom of Judah."

As mentioned earlier, Judah was one of the sons of Israel, its kingdom was one of the largest of all 12 sons of Israel and, according to experts, the last kingdom before the Jews were deported to Babylon. That is why they were called Jews when they were outside their country.

Some early variations of the word in English before it evolved into Jew were:

• Under
• century
• Iau
• Knee
• Oooh

There are many famous people who are Jewish by ethnicity or religion, some of them are:

• Gwyneth Paltrow's father is Jewish. However, she announced that she converted to Judaism in 2014.
• Joaquin Phoenix.
• Daniel Radcliffe is a Jewish descendant of his mother, but he is agnostic and does not believe in Judaism.
• Jack Black is also an atheist, but his mother was Jewish.
• Wynona Ryder, who states that part of her family died in concentration camps during World War II, is not religious but considers herself Jewish.
• Elizabeth Banks explained that although she is not yet "converted," she is learning and following Jewish practices.
• Noah Schapp, who was not born in Israel but converted to Judaism, and his mother are Jewish descendants.

We can also speak more clearly about antisemitism, which is hatred and discrimination against Jews as a racial or religious group. It was first mentioned in a document in the 19th century. But it became a popular word after the Holocaust episode until the end of World War II in 1945. Today there are still some anti-Semitic groups that see Jews as a problematic issue in contemporary civilization. These groups are not only against Jews as a race but also as a religion.

Final Thoughts

Remember that good writing skills are based on the rules and norms that we should follow. Our research and good reading will make a difference and help you on your writing journey. When you capitalize the word “Jewish” and capitalize races, nationalities, religions, etc., keep this article in mind. We hope that we addressed you to increase your knowledge and simplify the meaning of the word described in this article. And as a Chinese proverb says: "Don't be afraid to grow slowly, only be afraid to stand still."