---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that Judaism has been, throughout…"
description: "\"I think that Judaism has been, throughout its history since A.D. 70, a diaspora culture that's all about being a minority. In fact, being a small minor..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png"
---

#  I think that Judaism has been, throughout its history…

![“I think that Judaism has been, throughout its history since A.D. 70, a diaspora culture that's all about being a minority. In fact, being a small minority. When I'm in Israel, I cannot get used to the notion that we're all Jewish. It doesn't seem to me that we're supposed to all be Jewish.” quote by Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png)

> “I think that Judaism has been, throughout its history since A.D. 70, a diaspora culture that's all about being a minority. In fact, being a small minority. When I'm in Israel, I cannot get used to the notion that we're all Jewish. It doesn't seem to me that we're supposed to all be Jewish.”

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Judaism has long existed as a minority culture, especially after the diaspora began around AD 70, shaping a collective identity distinct from majority societies.

**In simple terms:** Judaism is a historic minority culture.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and respect minority identities.

Themes

identity minority diaspora culture religion

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

analytical historical

When to use this quote

- Immigration policy
- interfaith dialogue
- education about diaspora
- community building

Key Concepts

Historical sociology collective identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does minority status affect cultural preservation?
- What responsibilities arise from being a minority?

A Different Perspective

Minority status can lead to marginalization and loss of influence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/)

## Related quotes

> [“Whatever you may think of Judaism, Lyuba, in the end it’s just a codified system of anxieties.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/whatever-you-may-think-of-judaism-lyuba-in-the-end-it-s-just-a/)

[Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/)

> [“People think Judaism and Christianity are radically different from one another, and that the difference is straightforward. But on Ascension Day, I am struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-f-winner/people-think-judaism-and-christianity-are-radically-different-from/)

[Lauren F. Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-f-winner/)

> [My father, my Rastafari culture, has a tight link to the Jewish culture. We have a strong connection from when I was a young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-father-my-rastafari-culture-has-a-tight-link-to-the-jewish-culture/)

[Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/)

> [“Is the Lord’s Supper only for Christians? Whenever I ask this question I immediately remember the character of those that partook of the Last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-witherington-iii/is-the-lord-s-supper-only-for-christians-whenever-i-ask-this-question/)

[Ben Witherington III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-witherington-iii/)

> [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/)

[A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/)

> [It seems a long time since the morning mail could be called correspondence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/it-seems-a-long-time-since-the-morning-mail-could-be-called/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“They are strange trees, palm trees, they are so individualistic, so unique, so full of capriciousness, just as Jews are. One palm tree appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dvorah-telushkin-master-of-dreams-a-memoir-of-isaac-bashevis-singer-1997-2004/they-are-strange-trees-palm-trees-they-are-so-individualistic-so/)

Dvorah Telushkin Master of Dreams A Memoir of Isaac Bashevis Singer 1997 2004

> [The Bible is to gays what Mein Kampf is to Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tatchell/the-bible-is-to-gays-what-mein-kampf-is-to-jews/)

[Peter Tatchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tatchell/)

> [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/)

[Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/)

> [“There have been various attempts to reconstruct the vocalization and pronunciation of classical biblical Hebrew, which certainly differs considerably from that established by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-s-enz-badillos/there-have-been-various-attempts-to-reconstruct-the-vocalization-and/)

[Angel Sáenz-Badillos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-s-enz-badillos/)

> [If Christianity had asserted itself in Germany, six million Jews would have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/if-christianity-had-asserted-itself-in-germany-six-million-jews-would/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/)

[Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/)

> [We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/we-plan-to-eliminate-the-state-of-israel-and-establish-a-purely/)

[Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/)

> [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/)

[Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/)

## More by Mark Kurlansky

> [“A 1670 revision of the criminal code found yet another use for salt in France. To enforce the law against suicide, it was ordered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/a-1670-revision-of-the-criminal-code-found-yet-another-use-for-salt/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [“The Romans, Jones pointed out, called a man in love salax, in a salted state, which is the origin of the word salacious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/the-romans-jones-pointed-out-called-a-man-in-love-salax-in-a-salted/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [When you're in theater, you inevitably wind up working in restaurants. I made pastry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/when-you-re-in-theater-you-inevitably-wind-up-working-in-restaurants/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [“For a time, the Hanseatics were well appreciated as honorable merchants who ensured quality and fought against unscrupulous practices. They were known as Easterlings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/for-a-time-the-hanseatics-were-well-appreciated-as-honorable/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [I blurbed a nice book, not at all like my book 'The Big Oyster,' called 'The Essential Oyster.' I blurbed a pretty good book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-blurbed-a-nice-book-not-at-all-like-my-book-the-big-oyster-called/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [The entire trendy foodie world - food writing, food television, celebrated restaurants - is all about food for the rich. But the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/the-entire-trendy-foodie-world-food-writing-food-television/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [One of the truly horrible things about the Holocaust is that it doesn't end in 1945. It keeps affecting our lives in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/one-of-the-truly-horrible-things-about-the-holocaust-is-that-it-doesn/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [It's true that writing and pastry-making are similar, but when you work as a pastry chef, you can get a kind of mania that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/it-s-true-that-writing-and-pastry-making-are-similar-but-when-you/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [Food is interesting to me because it's a way of understanding culture and societies and history. I would never write about food just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/food-is-interesting-to-me-because-it-s-a-way-of-understanding-culture/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [THE ROMANS SALTED their greens, believing this to counteract the natural bitterness, which is the origin of the word salad, salted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/the-romans-salted-their-greens-believing-this-to-counteract-the/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [Religion is a big problem in Israel and the Arab world, but again, the problem isn't religion but political leaders who want to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/religion-is-a-big-problem-in-israel-and-the-arab-world-but-again-the/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [“It is a peculiarity of the English language that while most fish swim in schools, herring swim in shoals, a word of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/it-is-a-peculiarity-of-the-english-language-that-while-most-fish-swim/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [“The painstakingly extracted purple dye was a luxury item of such prestige that the color purple became a way of showing wealth and power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/the-painstakingly-extracted-purple-dye-was-a-luxury-item-of-such/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [Don't forget the Vietnam War was brought to us by Democrats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/don-t-forget-the-vietnam-war-was-brought-to-us-by-democrats/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

> [So much of what I write in fiction is based on true stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/so-much-of-what-i-write-in-fiction-is-based-on-true-stories/)

[Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

[Explore all 193 Mark Kurlansky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/)

## More Culture quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/)

[Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/)

[Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

[Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think that Judaism has been, throughout its history since A.D. 70, a diaspora culture that's all about being a minority. In fact, being a small minority. When I'm in Israel, I cannot get used to the notion that we're all Jewish. It doesn't seem to me that we're supposed to all be Jewish.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Kurlansky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout-its-history-since-a-d-70-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Culture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout-its-history-since-a-d-70-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43d/mark-kurlansky-1988_culture_i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout_1426970.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think that Judaism has been, throughout its history since A.D. 70, a diaspora culture that's all about…” — Mark Kurlansky",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Mark Kurlansky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think that Judaism has been,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout-its-history-since-a-d-70-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/i-think-that-judaism-has-been-throughout-its-history-since-a-d-70-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
