Ezra Klein on the "Jewish race"

In a recent episode of his podcast, The Ezra Klein Show, Ezra Klein of The New York Times (starting from 27:50) challenged the idea of Israel as a racist state (at least in the technical sense). However, in doing so, he made a point that unintentionally raises a deeper and more complex issue: he asserted that Ashkenazi Jews, who make up 25% of Israeli Jewry, belong to a distinct racial group from other Jewish communities, such as those he referred to as "Arab Jews." We have clipped what he said, be free to listen to below:

This statement prompts a critical question: If these groups are of separate racial origins, what are they? If Ashkenazi Jews are not of Middle Eastern descent, could they be considered a part of the white race with little genetic connection to the ancient Israelites or the Levant? Spoiler alert: if you are a Zionist, what Ezra cited is in sync 100% with what we found. Most of today's Jews are converts with little connection to the Levant. In detail, we have addressed this issue from multiple angles in another section, including DNA science.

On the subject of race, someone please loop in Mr. Klein: it is a social and political human construct. For example, the concept of the white Race is rarely used in Europe. Actually, it is laughable to lump Spaniards with Ukrainians in one group. Thus, Israel is a racist state based on its understanding of the “Jewish race,” even when it is disconnected from the facts. To give credit to the person who interviewed Ezra, she pushed back against his framing of race as such.