Op-Ed: Why I No Longer Say 'Judeo-Christian'

For years, I used the term “Judeo-Christian” without much thought. It felt like a bridge, a way to be seen. I'd say things like, “Well, it’s called Judeo-Christian… which one came first?” I'd point out that the concept of a justice system, courts, witnesses, laws, comes from Judaism. I thought I was elevating the Jewish voice, showing the world that we belonged. But over time, I’ve come to realize that the term “Judeo-Christian” doesn’t elevate us. It erases us.

The term “Judeo-Christian” is relatively new. It didn’t appear in common usage until the 20th century, particularly around World War II and the Cold War, when America needed a moral narrative to counter godless communism. Suddenly, Judaism and Christianity were presented as moral allies… siblings of faith, co-authors of Western ethics. It sounds nice on paper, but it glosses over millennia of painful, fundamental differences. And it quietly reshapes Jewish identity into something more digestible for Christian society.

Let’s be clear: Judaism is not Christianity’s older brother. It is not incomplete Christianity. It is its own cosmos. To collapse it into “Judeo-Christian” values is to dilute its texture, its nuance, its radical worldview.

Let me give you an example. Christianity often emphasizes belief as the gateway to salvation, “believe and be saved.” Judaism, on the other hand, says: act. Do. Don’t just believe in G-d—feed the hungry, return the lost object, speak truth even when it’s inconvenient. You can be a devout Jew and still struggle with belief; what matters is that you showed up to help your neighbor, that you practiced justice and mercy. That’s a chasm, not a nuance.

Another example: Christianity often upholds celibacy and self-denial as the ideal spiritual path. In contrast, Judaism sanctifies the physical world. Marriage, intimacy, Shabbat meals, wine, song, these aren’t distractions from holiness; they are holiness. The very things Christianity sometimes saw as obstacles to spirituality, Judaism embraces as pathways to it.

Even the Western concept of "forgive and forget" has its roots in a Christian ethos of blanket absolution. Judaism? We believe in teshuvah—return. Yes, we can forgive, but not without accountability, change, and repair. G-d doesn’t “forget”, G-d transforms.

So why has this term stuck around? Because it helps Christians feel like they’re not erasing the Jews… while often doing just that. By saying “Judeo-Christian,” it wraps the Jewish voice in a Christian package. It implies compatibility where there is often profound divergence. And it allows Christian-majority societies to borrow from our moral capital without actually listening to our wisdom.

It’s time to retire the phrase, not out of division, but out of honesty. Jews have unique gifts to bring to the table. And if the world is fractured today (and let’s be honest… it is), it might be because it hasn’t really heard what we have to offer.

For example, Judaism teaches arguing with love. The Talmud is page after page of people disagreeing, and staying in relationship. We don’t cancel each other. We challenge each other to grow. Imagine if that were the default on social media: not “I disagree, so I unfriend you,” but “I disagree, let’s grab coffee.”

We don’t need to hide behind a hyphen to be part of the conversation. The Jewish voice doesn’t need a Christian translator. We have Torah. We have thousands of years of wisdom, justice, and radical compassion. That voice is powerful. It’s sacred. And it deserves to be heard as it truly is.

So no—I don’t say “Judeo-Christian” anymore. I say “Jewish.” And I hope the world is ready to really listen.