What is a "Semite'?

 

We hear a lot these days about something called 'Antisemitism' which literally means a hatred or prejudice towards Jewish people as Jews. Yet, I suspect that many people, wouldn't really know what the term 'Semite' means.

The term 'Semitic', or 'Semites', refers to people who speak Semitic languages, which includes - Arabic, Amharic, Aramaic, Hebrew. It doesn't include Yiddish, which is mainly Germanic in origin with some other influences. The Palestinian people are Semites.

I believe that early colonial Jewish settlers in Israel were resistant to speaking Hebrew and insisted on speaking their own language, Russian, Polish, German, or Yiddish. They didn't think Hebrew would have been of much use to them. Many of the Sephardi Jews who had lived in Palestine for centuries, spoke Judeo- Spanish or 'Ladino' as well as Arabic. They co-existed with the Palestinian Arabs.

Compared to Poland, pre-war Germany, didn't have a big Jewish population and I think most of them considered themselves German, firstly and foremost. Many Germans weren't even aware that they were Jewish until they were categorized as such under the Nuremberg laws. Some were even members of the Nazi Party.

Most Israeli Jews are not diligent observers of Judaism. In 2022, 45% of Israeli Jews self-identified as "secular." I believe that many Israeli Jewish citizens frequently complain about the constraints of Shabbat observance or ignore it altogether.

I remember watching a TV programme about the Canadian singer Leonard Cohen. He said that when he visited Israel, he'd been asked if he was a practicing Jew. He replied that he practiced all the time.