More Than a Faith

When most people hear the word “Jewish”, they think of religion. That makes sense. Judaism is a religion, and for many Jews, faith is an important part of their identity.

But being Jewish is also much more than that. A person can be completely secular, never attend synagogue, and still be Jewish. Many Jews who do not practise Judaism still feel a deep connection to Jewish culture, history, and community.

Unlike many religions, Judaism did not begin as a belief system spread across unrelated populations. The Jewish people originated in the ancient Land of Israel and developed a religion, culture, and national identity around that shared origin.

For thousands of years, Jews have understood themselves not only as followers of a religion, but as members of a people. Yet today, many institutions continue to treat Jewish identity as purely religious. That misunderstanding can have consequences, particularly in healthcare.

The Genetic Evidence

One of the strongest pieces of evidence that Jewish identity is more than a religion comes from genetics. Religions do not usually leave genetic footprints.

People who share a religion may come from completely different ethnic backgrounds and have no shared ancestry. A Christian from England, a Christian from Nigeria, and a Christian from Brazil may share beliefs, but they do not necessarily share family origins.

The Jewish people are different. Genetic research over several decades has repeatedly shown that many Jewish populations worldwide share ancestral origins in the ancient Levant.

Studies examining Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jewish communities have found evidence of shared ancestry despite centuries of geographic separation across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Researchers have consistently found genetic links between many Jewish communities that cannot be explained by religion alone.

This does not mean all Jews are genetically identical. Like every ethnic group, Jewish populations are diverse and have mixed with neighbouring populations throughout history. However, the evidence consistently points to shared ancestral origins stretching back thousands of years.

That is one reason why DNA testing companies are often able to identify Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry as a distinct population group. You cannot inherit a religion through DNA. You can inherit ancestry.

The genetic evidence strongly supports what Jews have always understood themselves to be: not just a faith community, but a people.

When Ancestry Affects Health

For many communities, ancestry plays an important role in healthcare. Doctors routinely consider ethnic background when assessing risk factors and deciding whether additional screening may be appropriate.

The same is true for Jewish populations. Because some inherited genetic conditions occur more frequently in certain Jewish communities than in the wider population, ancestry can sometimes be medically relevant.

Examples include

• Tay-Sachs Disease
• Canavan Disease
• Familial Dysautonomia
• Gaucher Disease
• Bloom Syndrome
• Niemann-Pick Disease
• Fanconi Anaemia

Most Jewish people will never develop these conditions. However, some occur at significantly higher rates in particular Jewish populations than in the general population.

Understanding ancestry can help healthcare professionals identify potential risks, offer genetic counselling, and provide screening where appropriate.

When ancestry is recognised, healthcare providers can make better-informed decisions. When it is overlooked, opportunities for prevention and early intervention may be missed.

The BRCA Gene: A Life-Saving Example

Perhaps the most widely known example of ancestry affecting health is the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. Anyone can carry these mutations. However, people of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are far more likely to carry one of three specific inherited BRCA mutations.

These mutations significantly increase the risk of developing:

• Breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Pancreatic cancer

For many Jewish families, BRCA-related cancer is not an abstract statistic. It has affected parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.

The good news is that awareness saves lives. People who know they are at increased risk can access genetic testing, enhanced screening programmes, and preventative healthcare options.

But healthcare systems can only identify trends and target support if they know which communities may be affected. That starts with recognising ancestry.

Not All Jews Are Ashkenazi

Discussions about Jewish genetics often focus heavily on Ashkenazi Jews because they are one of the most extensively studied Jewish populations. However, Jewish communities are incredibly diverse.

Global Jewish communities include

• Ashkenazi Jews
• Sephardi Jews
• Mizrahi Jews
• Beta Israel, Ethiopian Jews
• Bene Israel, Indian Jews
• Mountain Jews
• Bukharan Jews
• Many others

Each community has its own unique history and genetic background. Some inherited conditions may be more common in one Jewish population than another.

This is one reason why healthcare research should avoid treating all Jews as a single, uniform group. Understanding Jewish health requires recognising both shared ancestry and community diversity.

The NHS Blind Spot

Despite the medical importance of ancestry, Jewish ethnicity is often invisible within NHS data collection. When patients are asked to record their ethnicity, there is usually no standard option for “Jewish”.

Instead, Jewish people are often expected to choose categories such as:

• White British
• White Other
• Other Ethnic Group

For many Jews, none of these options accurately reflects who they are. More importantly, these categories fail to capture information that may be medically relevant.

A Jewish patient may be recorded simply as “White”, despite belonging to a population with distinct genetic health considerations. This creates a problem.

Healthcare data is used to identify health inequalities, allocate resources, guide research, and improve patient outcomes. If Jewish ethnicity is not routinely recorded, it becomes far harder to understand the healthcare needs of the Jewish community.

Quite simply, if a community is not properly counted, it becomes harder to ensure its needs are met.

The Research Gap

For decades, much of the world’s medical research has focused primarily on populations of European ancestry. This has created challenges across healthcare.

When communities are underrepresented in research studies, scientists have less information about how diseases affect them, which treatments work best, and what risk factors may be most important.

Although Jewish populations have been included in some genetic research, particularly studies involving inherited disorders and BRCA mutations, broader health studies do not always record Jewish ethnicity. This means Jewish participants are often grouped into broad categories such as “White”.

As a result, researchers may miss patterns that could be important for patient care.

Important questions become harder to answer

• Are some conditions more common in Jewish populations?
• Are screening programmes reaching those who need them?
• Are there healthcare disparities affecting Jewish patients?
• Are healthcare services adequately addressing community needs?

This issue is not unique to Jews. Many minority populations have historically been overlooked in medical research.

Good healthcare depends on good data. And good data begins with recognising the communities being studied. Without an accurate recording of ethnicity, important health trends can remain invisible.

Recognition Saves Lives

Recognising Jewish ethnicity is not about creating special treatment. It is about ensuring accurate representation.

Healthcare systems collect ethnicity data because different communities can face different health challenges. Better information allows healthcare providers to understand populations, identify risks, and improve outcomes.

Recognising Jewish ethnicity more consistently would

• Improve health data collection
• Support medical research
• Increase awareness of inherited genetic conditions
• Improve access to genetic screening programmes
• Help identify healthcare inequalities
• Improve understanding of community-specific health risks
• Ensure Jewish communities are properly represented

Most importantly, it would acknowledge a reality that historians, geneticists, and Jewish communities have understood for generations.

Jews are not simply followers of a religion. They are a people connected by ancestry, history, culture, and shared origins.

Recognising that reality is not only a matter of identity. It is a matter of health, inclusion, and potentially saving lives.

Every community deserves to be seen.