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Jew
Also written: Jewish, Jewish person
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At a glance
Source-by-source
“Capitalize the proper names of ancestral, national, place, and religious identities: Indigenous Peoples, Arab, French-Canadian, Inuit, Jew, Latin, Asian, Cree, etc.”
SumOfUs supplies the one rule the rest of the page rests on but doesn't state — the affirmative capitalization rule. While the Religion Stylebook and DSG work through who counts as a Jew and the verb-form slur, SumOfUs settles the plain mechanical point: "Jew" is a standard proper noun, capitalized like any other ancestral or religious identity, not a word to write around.
“Follower of the Jewish faith. … Many Jews consider themselves "secular Jews" whose connection to Judaism is cultural or ethnic rather than spiritual. … Use Jew for men and women. Never use jew as a verb, as in he jewed me down. This colloquial expression … is offensive.”
The Diversity Style Guide presents "Jew" as the correct noun for men and women, noting many self-identify as secular Jews with a cultural or ethnic rather than spiritual connection to Judaism. It draws a sharp line: the verb form ("he jewed me down") is offensive and should never be used. The entry's definitional text follows the Religion Stylebook's.
“Do not use language that classifies Jews from interfaith families as different, like patrilineal Jew or half-Jew …”
Writing for Jewish organizations, 18Doors warns against qualifying anyone's Jewishness: no "patrilineal Jew" or "half-Jew" labels for Jews from interfaith families, no conversion-status labels like "Jew-by-choice," and never the historically derogatory "shiksa" or "goy" for family members who aren't Jewish. When unsure, ask people how they identify.
“Follower of the Jewish faith. Tradition holds that people are Jewish if their mothers are Jewish or if they have gone through a formal process of conversion, but some Jews argue for a more liberal definition. … Use Jew for men and women.”
The Religion Stylebook treats "Jew" as the standard noun for men and women alike, while noting the definition of who is Jewish is itself debated — matrilineal descent and formal conversion by tradition, with some Jews holding a more liberal view. It separately notes many identify as secular Jews whose connection is cultural or ethnic rather than spiritual.
Audience notes
- Journalists and editors
- "Jew" is the standard noun for men and women, always capitalized; "Jewish" is the adjective. Never use "jew" as a verb — it is an antisemitic slur in verb form (Diversity Style Guide). Don't assume religiosity: many people identify as secular Jews.
- Jewish organizations and internal comms
- 18Doors' guidance is the most specific: don't qualify anyone's Jewishness with labels like "half-Jew," "patrilineal Jew," or conversion-status terms, and never use "shiksa" or "goy" for non-Jewish family members. Self-identification governs.
- When unsure between noun and adjective
- Both "a Jew" and "a Jewish person" are correct; some writers prefer the adjective form in contexts where the bare noun has historically been weaponized. The sources treat the noun as fully standard — discomfort with it is not itself a style rule.
Synthesis
The sources agree: “Jew” is the correct, standard noun — always
capitalized (SumOfUs lists it among proper-name identities), used for men and
women alike (Religion Stylebook, Diversity Style Guide). None of the corpus
sources treats the noun itself as a term to avoid. The firm rules are about
its edges: the verb form is an antisemitic slur (Diversity Style Guide), and
qualifying labels that grade someone’s Jewishness — “half-Jew,” “patrilineal
Jew,” conversion-status terms — are out (18Doors).
Who counts as a Jew is, by the sources’ own account, internally contested in
ways a style guide can describe but not settle. The Religion Stylebook notes
the traditional matrilineal-descent-or-conversion definition alongside more
liberal views, and both it and the Diversity Style Guide note that many people
identify as secular Jews whose connection to Judaism is cultural or ethnic
rather than religious. 18Doors answers the practical question the way the
corpus usually does: ask people how they want to identify.
A sourcing note: the Diversity Style Guide’s definitional text follows the
Religion Stylebook’s entry (the DSG aggregates specialist stylebooks), so the
two converge by design rather than independently; the DSG’s verb-form warning
is its own addition. The independent legs of this page are the Religion
Stylebook, SumOfUs, and 18Doors.
Audience notes
See the structured audience notes above. Journalists should treat the noun as
standard and the verb as a slur. Jewish-organization communicators should
follow 18Doors on never qualifying anyone’s Jewishness. Writers weighing
noun versus adjective should know both are correct.
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