A California state Senate committee passed a bill on August 13 that would recognize Jewish identity as an ethnic and racial category in addition to a religious one. If the full legislature approves the measure, California would become the first state in the nation to officially adopt this multi-faceted designation for Jewish residents on state forms.
The legislation follows decades of debate among sociologists, anthropologists, and legal experts regarding whether "Jewish" refers strictly to a faith or encompasses a broader ancestry and culture. A Pew Research Center survey reported that only 10% of respondents viewed being Jewish solely as a matter of religion, with the majority citing ancestry, culture, or a combination of factors.
The bill's chief sponsor, state Sen. Henry Stern (D), stated that the measure reflects an understanding of Jews as a people, nation, ethnicity, and religion. However, critics of the bill have expressed concern that the designation could be misused by hate groups, citing historical instances where similar ethnic categorizations were used by the Nazi regime in Germany and under Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union to target Jewish populations.
For the average Jewish resident in California, this change would be most noticeable when filling out state-mandated paperwork, such as applications or demographic surveys, where they could select "Jewish" under ethnic or racial categories rather than religion alone. The exact date this would take effect is not reported, as the bill must still pass the full legislature and be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
The policy could set a precedent for other states considering how to categorize multi-faceted identities in government records. It also triggers calls for related state actions; proponents suggest the new designation should be accompanied by increased state funding for security at Jewish community centers and schools, as well as enhanced tracking of online activity by the state to prevent violence. The next steps for the bill include a vote in the full California Senate, though a specific date for that vote has not yet been established.