Philo-Semitism

Philo-Semitism (also spelled philosemitism) or Judeophilia is a term used to describe an interest in, respect for and an appreciation of Jewish people, their history and the influence of Judaism, particularly on the part of a gentile.

Within the Jewish community, philo-Semitism includes an interest of Jewish culture and a love of everything Jewish.

The concept of philo-Semitism is not new, arguably avowed by such thinkers as 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who described himself as an "anti-anti-Semite," though he also criticized the historical Jewish people for their role in forming modern morality. Enjoying a recent surge, it is characterized by an interest in Jewish culture and history and manifested in increasing university enrollment by non-Jews in courses such as Judaism, Hebrew, and Jewish languages.

Philo-Semitism has been met by a mixed response from the Jewish community. Some warmly welcome it and argue that it must lead Jews to reconsider their identity. Others, citing the special status that it implicitly gives to Jews even as its apparent opposite anti-Semitism does, reject it as running contrary to the Zionist goal of making Jewry "a nation among nations."

Philo-Semitism is an expression of the larger phenomenon of allophilia, admiration of foreign cultures as embodied in the more widely known Anglophilia and Francophilia. The rise of philo-Semitism has also prompted some to reconsider Jewish history, and they argue that while anti-Semitism must be acknowledged, it is wrong to reduce the history of the Jewish people to one merely of suffering (as has been fostered by well-meaning gentile philo-Semites).

Even though a non-Jew is not required to convert to Judaism or may even be advised against doing so, Halakha (Jewish religious law) does require all non-Jews to abide by certain commandments. These are the Seven Laws of Noah, and gentiles who accept the Seven Laws in their traditional interpretation identify as Noahides.

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