Jewish atheism

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Jewish atheism^[1] is the atheism of people who are ethnically and (at least to some extent) culturally Jewish.

"Jewish atheism" is not a contradiction^[2] because Jewish identity encompasses not only religious components but also ethnic and cultural ones. The Jewish atheist embraces a deep, almost paradoxical love for Jewish tradition—not from belief in God, but from a profound attachment to justice, cultural heritage, and community, making this devotion neither reducible to faith nor entirely separate from it.^[3] Jewish law's emphasis on descent through the mother means that even religiously conservative Orthodox Jewish authorities would accept an atheist born to a Jewish mother as fully Jewish.^[4]

Jewish secularism, which describes Jews who do not explicitly reject God's existence but also do not believe it is an important part of their Jewishness, has a long tradition in the United States.^[5] A 2013 study by the Pew Research Center found that 62% of self-described American Jews say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and culture, while just 15% say it is mainly a matter of religion. Even among Jews by religion, 55% say being Jewish is mainly a matter of ancestry and culture, while 66% say it is not necessary to believe in God to be Jewish.^[6]