No, Jews are not a race of people. Yes, being born a Jew means that one's mother is a Jew and her mother is a Jew and so on. However, just because it is passed on through the mother, it does not mean that Jews are a race. Under Jewish law, anyone can become a Jew as long as he/she has a halachic (legally Jewish) conversion. Once the person converts, he/she is a full Jew even though he/she was not born a Jew. Generally, we Jews see ourselves as a nation of a people - not a race as is traditionally defined.
