eric/anna/dianne/cardikel, page-18

re: olive- eric/anna/dianne/cardikel Snooks,

Our resident learned Rabbi (whom I respect) accepts that jews are the followers of a religion and not a race. He will refer to them as a 'people' which is fair enough.

As for Abraham being the first jew well that's the way the story has it. He proclaimed the jewish religion whether he actually did that whilst in Basra where he hailed from or on his momadic travels is a question. As for the Bible (Torah) that was written by followers of the religion to define their new faith and to create a social structure (set of rules). It is not the 'hand of god' and nor for that matter is the Koran; both were written to meet the ends of the power brokers and to control the 'masses'.

Back to Abraham, you can decide what he was before he became a 'jew' (religeously speaking)- a pagan, a Hindhu or whatever but he wasn't of a race called 'jewish' not before not ever.