Am I a Jew if my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother was a Jew? Even if along the line one of my foremothers converted to another faith? I'd just like a better understanding of matrilineal descent in Judaism.
1 Answer
You would still be a Jew. The lineage of a Jew never breaks, regardless of a person's apparent conversion to another religion. The lineage is through one's mother and that is unbreakable. There exists no such thing as conversion from Judaism according to Jewish law.
See the Gemoro (Sanhedrin 44a):
אע״פ שחטא ישראל הוא
Even if he sinned, he is still a Jew.
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@DoubleAA the hebrew term is something like
yisroel af al pi shechoto (nikra) yisroel (hu)
– YehudaSep 12, 2012 at 19:50 -
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@HodofHod correct, 3rd line from the top. can someone who knows hebrewbooks perhaps link to it?– YehudaSep 12, 2012 at 20:31
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@HodofHod Yes I figured. I was pointing out the contradictory gemara.– Double AA ♦Sep 12, 2012 at 22:20
:-)
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