dejudaize

English

Etymology

From de- +‎ Judaize.

Verb

dejudaize (third-person singular simple present dejudaizes, present participle dejudaizing, simple past and past participle dejudaized)

1. (transitive, uncommon) To remove or eliminate Jewish beliefs or customs from someone; to renounce or convert from Judaism; to render less Jewish.

   Antonym: Judaize

   • 1870, James Morison, Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew, page 37:

     unless they were guilty of such inconsistency of conduct as should dejudaize them.

   • 1876, Frédéric Louis Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John - Volume 1, page 461:

     This is what has led Böhme to say (Versuch das Geheimnis des Menschensohns zuenthüllen, 1839) that the object of Jesus in choosing this name was to dejudaize the idea of the Messiah.

   • 1902, Federation of American Zionists (contributor), The Maccabaean - Volumes 2-3, page 17:

     Many of our people have been dejudaized but have not been Americanized for if they were Americanized they would feel the need of a Sabbath.

   • 1979, School of the Jewish Woman (New York, N.Y.) (contributor), The Jewish Spectator - Volumes 44-46, page 43:

     SAMMONS depoliticizes and dereligionizes Heine--he especially dejudaizes him--all the more to build up the man of artistic vision and integrity.

   • 1994, Kenneth L. Deutsch, Walter Nicgorski (editors), Leo Strauss - Political Philosopher and Jewish Thinker, page 90:

     As for political Zionism, Strauss regards it as merely "continuing and intensifying the dejudaizing tendency of assimilation."

Derived terms

• dejudaization