I don’t know whу Jewish people consider half Jews wіth Jewish dads аѕ gentiles. Thеу hаνе Jewish last names, аnd thеу look Jewish. I’m considering converting tο Judaism, bυt I’m worried. If ѕο many Jews аrе ѕο obsessed wіth racial purity thаt thеу reject half-Jews, I won’t fare ѕο well. I don’t hаνе аnу Jewish blood.
Nο one hаѕ Jewish blood! Judaism іѕ a Covenantal religion. Thе Covenant іѕ passed frοm mother tο child. Anyone саn convert tο Judaism — wе don’t reject anyone!
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resolution: once someone converts to Judaism, they are accepted as a Jew lacking hesitation. It’s not allowed to even question if someone was born and raised a Jew or converted.
Talk with a community rabbi, my friend.
As for the Jewish father/Gentile mother thing – that goes back to tradition when you could verify who your mother was. Proving fatherhood could be a small more hard if someone challenged it.
Jews aren’t obsessed with racial purity, honestly. There are Jews of all ethnic groups.
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No one has Jewish blood! Judaism is a Covenantal religion. The Covenant is passed from mother to child. Anyone can convert to Judaism — we don’t reject anyone!
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I have never encountered this problem-then again, I am not Jewish.
From the sounds of it, I reckon you may be referring to Israeli Jews?. As with any church, some are more stringent and ancient fashioned in their beliefs in others. I say, if you believe what they believe, then go ahead and convert. Just try attending at different synagogues, and find one that suits you best. Honestly, that sounds very closed minded and racist, and surely not all feel that way.
Below is a website with explanations on terminology, how to find a synagogue, and the different sects and their beliefs. I suggest perusing them, and finding one that suits you best. Excellent luck!
References :
http://www.jewfaq.org/shul.htm
You must not be very close to seriously converting if you’re asking this question. Jews are so really long-suffering of converts. It’s a administer & we know they wanted it. It’s Hitler who added the thought of "Jewish blood" to the world of despise to more easily kill Jews. That’s an thought Jews abhor.
Every religion has a way of defining who’s a member. Christianity used your father as the measure until very recently with the new "born again believing" thought shifted that. Islam also uses paternal descent. As L’Chaim has said, it’s just the covenant, birthright, that’s being passed down. Blood/Jews are irrelevant.
I was always educated that Judaism point out maternal, because it’s your mom that has the most proximity to their children (in traditional culture until very recently.) More recently, Reform Judaism has accepted paternal descent as jewish. Check out a current synoguage. There will be adopted children from every part of the rainbow — & depending on their age of adoption they are considered Jewish .
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Sincere-Advisor
You are proving in other questions that you have a thing for attacking Jews, & not with truth. You don’t know
1.) What they were asking about & why
2.) Israel style of openness & self-criticism that lets you see negatives commented on that you wouldn’t from other countries.
Sometimes converts are not genunine & there is reason to question them. Sometimes politics takes time to be changed. Sometimes you look like a fool to the rest of us on here when you criticize Mama_pajama for "lack of knowledge". And have you noticed the arrogance in your own avatar while you criticize everyone else’s, and your arrogance of bothering to comment on them?
Just because the women took deferrence to it — did it ever occur to you she had an agenda too. She could easily be mad that her disingeniouness was being questioned & finding a way to complain. She said it so it must be right? Lacking the article reference, I don’t care to rely only on your interpretation. Nor is a single news article meaningful for judging an entire 14 million people & their religion.
You obviously have never been in a synoguage if you reckon Judaism does not accept all races & backgrounds. And that effort to tear Reform & Orthodox, shows for what it is…a basic attack practice.
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The Washington Times recently ran a tale of a gentile woman who had been married to an Israeli Jew. After they got divorced, Israel’s Rabbinical Court annulled her conversion, even though she had two kids from her Jewish husband. During the trial, the Rabbis questioned very intimate questions about their sex life to find out if the woman had followed Jewish customs during menstruation etc. The woman said in the interview that it was the most humiliating experience of her life.
Jews never fully accept any person who was born of a Gentile mother. No matter how much you learn about Judaism as a convert, you will remain inferior. The reason is that Judaism is not just a religion; it’s an ethnic identity. You may be adopted into the faith but you will never be part of the community of the faithful.
A better religion for you would be Islam, which like Judaism, affirms only one God. And it accepts adherents of all races and ethnicity. [Cher, above me, lied]. It’s because Islam always claimed itself to be for mankind whereas Judaism always claimed that it’s a religion for ethnic Jews, the Chosen People of God.
EDIT:
Answering mama_pajama_1 (what an alias!): I reckon you are seeing things from Reform Judaism, but that is NOT the case in Israel where Orthodox Jews reign supreme and do determine who is and isn’t a Jew! Even in Reform Judaism what you have is a club, in which club members choose who gets in. In Islam there is no such requirement. The religion is open and readily available to all! All you have to do is say: "There is no God but God and Muhammad is His Messenger," and you are a Muslim! You do not need an approval from any person! You only need approval from God. Your relationship with all adherents of the faith is through Him, not through self-appointed guardians of faith and ethnicity. Can you imagine all Palestinians converting to Judaism and becoming full-fledged citizens of Israel? It will never happen. Ethnic Jews will never accept that and will never allow these Palestinians to become Jewish. If you are accepted as a Jew by Reform Judaism but not by the State of Israel or by Orthodox Jews, how excellent is it?
EDIT 2:
Answering The Sage: In the Washington Times article, the lady keen out that she practiced Judaism more faithfully and knew more about Judaism than most Jews in Israel. But because she was a convert and might have erred, her conversion was voided. Now, in all fairness, why don’t the Rabbis void the faith of born Jews who do not practice the faith? The obvious resolution is that those other Jews are ethnic, and that identity cannot be taken away from them, whereas Rabbis can always take away your religious identity, leaving you in limbo. Why adopt a religion where human beings, not God, are in control of your faith?
EDIT 3: Thirteen Thumb-Downs. That’s a record! LOL.
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First of all I must address the antisemitic resolution from one who also falsely insulted another use and willfully misrepresented Judaism.. Cher did NOT lie about Judaism.
It is against Jewish law to discriminate against a convert. Jews have fully accepted converts since the time of Torah.
It has already been mentioned that the Nazis ascribed to and promoted the fake notion that Jews are a race. Hitler did not make that notion as it started in the late 1800′s, but he did use it and many other things against Jewish law in order to discredit and persecute Jews. Both the concept that the dogma of a contradictory religion to Judaism or the pseudo scientific thoughts of antisemites(Nazis) have authority to determine Jewish identity OVER the right of the laws of the people in question , reveals utter disregard and disrespect of the right of the Jewish people to self-determination according to Jewish law with regard to who is or is not a Jew
Jews are a nation people, Israel (tribal origin) bound by an eternal covenant of the faith (religion) of Judaism. We are like a huge family and only the family can determine who is a member of it. It is the laws of Judaism, given to the covenant nation, Israel, in the Torah, that determine Jewish identity.
The Jewish people are considered both a nation and a religion. Our connection is primarily one of faith (religion) through the covenant of Israel, yet membership is also conferred by birth, through matrilineal descent .One may also become a part of the nation Israel by adoption of the faith of Judaism and formal procedures of conversion.
One who converts to Judaism is considered as FULLY Jewish as one born Jewish and their children are Jews. This has been the case since the times of the Torah.
The Jewish nation started as a group of tribes and our connection to one another is still from the perspective of a tribal nation. ( example:as the Lakota nation has tribal procedure and law to determine who is a memberof their tribe, who is not, who is expelled and who is adopted, so does Judaism.)
Jews are in NO way a RACE..other than as members of the human race. For those of you who want to claim Judaism doesn’t accept converts as fully Jewish, how about Ruth in the Bible? She was a member of a nation that was condemned to be separate from God for their evil. Though, she was a righteous woman who converted and adopted the faith of Israel and was the ancestor of King David. The New Testament depicts her as being an ancestor of Jesus, too.
Reform Judaism ( of which I am a member) will consider as Jewish one whose father is a Jew IF the child was RAISED in Judaism actively and exclusively. Even in Reform Judaism, simply having a Jewish father lacking exclusively Jewish upbringing, would require conversion on the part of the person with only a Jewish father to become a Jew.
It is against Jewish law for any Jew to discriminate against a convert to Judaism.
Since the time of the Torah converts have been accepted as fully Jewish, and this is the case in all branches. We are not even supposed to refer to the fact that they are converts! It is up to them if they wish to spot themselves as such. They are Jews, period.
A convert is as Jewish as one born to Jacob and Rachel from the Torah.
In fact, a well-known convert to Orthodox Judaism, Unkelos shortly became Rabbi Unkelos who translated the Tanakh into Aramaic and whose writings are mandatory reading for Orthodox Jews.
The covenant people, Israel have been MULTIRACIAL since the days of Torah, Moses’ wife, Zipporah was a black woman. There have been Ethiopian Beta Yisrael since the days of Solomon! And I repeat, one cannot convert to a race. One may convert and become fully Jewish.
The Jewish Bible ( Tanakh ) tells from the beginning book to the end that the righteous of all nations ( Jew or Gentile ) have the capacity to connect directly to God, merit blessing and a place in the world to come. Atonement is directly from God. Shalom
edit: I now note that not only is that user misrepresenting Judaism, and insulting other users, but now an edit attempts to misrepresent my words. Only one paragraph that mentions Reform Judaism above spoke to a difference from Orthodox and Conservative. All else I mentioned is common to all branches. I reverently request that the links I’ve given will verify my answers. I trust that anyone with a sincere question will be capable of seminal the honest resolution about Judaism and Torah here. I will not respond to any further insult or antisemitic or anti-Israel diatribes that are here to usurp the q.
References :
http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm
http://www.beingjewish.com/identity/race.html
http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/
< This is always a excellent place for comparative study, too.
http://www.jewish-languages.org/ This is a link to a source that is a scholarly study of the development of Jewish languages. It will help you if you are interested in studying the different Jewish cultures.
http://www.convert.org/index.html < questions about Conversion to Judaism answered here
Wow, this is like, your fifth question about converting to Judaism centered around innumerable ‘fears’ of the evil Jew. Your xenophobia is poorly disguised. Your other question specifices that you belive there is no such thing as a "Jewish Race". So pick an opinion man.
Personal problems with you aside, let me resolution you question.
Judaism maintains that religion passes from the mother.
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All Jews care about is Jewish law as handed down by G-d in the Torah. The law is that if your mother is Jewish then you are. Having a Jewish father does not help according to the law. Anyone who is keen to accept upon himself the laws of Judsism will be recognized as a full fledged Jew. I know of many black Jews and chinese Jews to mention a few. This lady in Israel did not fully accept the laws so her conversion was voided.
There was a sensation earlier this year when it was learned that a man named Floyd had masqueraded as an orthodox Jew for about 3 years in Lakewood, NJ. Once it was determined that his wife had truly converted and accepted the laws she was accepted as a full Jew.
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they dont
only orthdox jews do
and seeing as i’m not orthadox i don’t
i reckon is a load of rubbish
half my cousins have jewish fathers and they regard themselves a jewish
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I smell troll. Lets not feed it boys and girls. Read his question history. He’s just trying to upset people.
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Firstly, could everyone be attentive please that the asker is a TROLL who has posted a series of lies about Judaism.
Right, now to the ‘question’.
There’s no such thing as ‘jewish blood’. What do you reckon, we have kosher chicken soup running through our veins???
A person with a Jewish father gets the same respect and friendliness that a Jew will show to ANY other human being. Now, does that mean they are Jewish? No. All religions have the RIGHT to define their own identity. Judaism passes via the mother.
Is it honest? Possibly not.
Is it frustrating for people with Jewish fathers? Yes, I reckon it must be!
Do I sympathise with them? Yes, really. I really, really do.
None of which means that you are right when you try and say it’s about ‘racial purity’. Jews are NOT a ‘race’. You know it. We know it. Most sane adults know it.
If you were really thought of converting, you would know enough ABOUT Judaism not to have posted anything so deceiving and foolish.
edit
Why does my avatar keep changing????
Also, to right ‘sincere’:
No such thing as ‘ethnic jews’. Jews come from ALL ethnic backgrounds. We do not represent any one cohesive ‘ethnic’ group. And if any Palestinian Arabs wished to convert, they would be welcome – if they were genuine.
References :
http://www.ajewwithaview.com
No, You are so incorrect and right that its confusing. You won’t be considered Jewish in Orthodoxy,Conservative and UK Reform Judaism. But in American Reform Judaism,Reconstructionist,and Humanistic Judaism you are Jewish. But here is what is confusing, You are either Jewish or not. I dont like the word Half Jewish. You are Jewish or not. In Orthodoxy and Conservative Judaism they are not. Simple as that. You are not equipped or have the Jewish"Neshma" that many have and i advise you not to dissipate the Rabbi’s time because of you not wanting to join the Jewish community because of this. This acually gives poeple more of a drive to convert because it shows that Judaism is nothing to play with and is not as open protaining to our history. I advise you follow the 7 noahide laws which i reckon you should know which is a basic in Jewish learning. You did do some research, right?
EDIT: TROLL ALERT!!!!
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Modern Orthodox Jew
Hi!
*According to the epistle of the Jewish law you are either Jewish or not. "Half-Jews" is a modern concept.
The Halakhic rule states that a child of two Jewish parents takes the status of his father (e.g- Cohen); if one of the parents is not Jewish, the child takes the status of his mother (if the mother is Jewish- so is the child).
Orthodox and Conservative branches follow the Halakhic definition of "Jewish". Reform and Liberal branches are more tolerant and accept a child of one Jewish parent, whether father or mother, as Jewish if the parents raise the child as a Jew and the child fosters a Jewish identity.
*Jewish surname and appearance are not criteria for being Jewish. It is not about racial purity either- the fact is that Judaism allows conversion.
The definition of "Jewish" is very complicated and varied: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_is_a_Jew%3F
*Converts are very welcomed in every Jewish community. We know that the administer of Giyur (converting to Judaism) is long and despairing so we appreciate every person who chooses to be part of us and who’s keen to undergo it.
Excellent luck!
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