Are we Hebrews, Israelites or Jews?

BY RABBI DR RAPHAEL ZARUM

Sometimes the most basic of questions can uncover deep truths. Who are we? By what name should we be known? You might say we’re Jews, but if that is the case, then why are we not called Jews anywhere in the Torah?

In Genesis, both Abraham and Joseph are called Ha’Ivri, the Hebrew, and from Exodus onwards our ancestors are generally referred to as Bnei Yisrael, which translates to “Children of Israel” or “Israelites”. Sometimes they are just called Yisrael, Israel. Only in subsequent biblical books are we called Yehudim, Jews. For instance, Mordechai was known as HaYehudi, the Jew.

So are we Hebrews, Israelites or Jews? Each of these names appear numerous times in the Bible – which is more correct? Are we suffering from a kind of group identity crisis? The truth is that the longevity of our people has gifted us multiple names, each referring to a vital aspect of our national character.

Our people were not indigenous to Canaan. Abraham travelled across the Euphrates river, from a place called Ur, now located in southern Iraq. The word Ivri, Hebrew, means “across” or “the other side”, and so it recalls that our ancestors were outsiders, counter voices, people who came from afar with a different value system. That is why Potiphar’s wife called Joseph a ‘Hebrew’.

After wrestling with each other, a messenger of G-d told Jacob: “No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but