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Suppose there was a Jewish man, let’s call him John.

John comes from a Conservative Jewish family. Both of John's grandparents, on both sides, were married in Conservative synagogues.

Today if he attends an Orthodox shul, and practices Orthodox Judaism, meets a girl and wants to be officiated by an Orthodox rabbi, how would that work, given that Conservative documents are insufficient to prove one’s Jewishness?

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    This happens all the time. The officiating Rabbi will somehow determine if this person is Jewish or not, or sometimes they don't do that thorough a background check
    – robev
    Jan 12 at 17:51
  • Hi and welcome to Mi Yodeya. This certainly sounds like the kind of question that that yellow disclaimer on the side is warning about - please make sure to ask your LOR for John! This answer here is something you might find useful, in addition to what @robev said: judaism.stackexchange.com/a/48761/31534
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Jan 12 at 17:52
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    Most of us Orthodox Jews don't have "documents" either. We just have the story of our parents and grandparents, as far back as we know which isn't usually that far. The Rav officiating at the wedding will try to determine if he sees any halachic issues with our stories, something like a non-Orthodox divorce or conversion. Conservative Jews would presumably be about the same.
    – MichoelR
    Jan 12 at 18:07

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Yes, a Conservative or Reform Jew can be properly halachically married with an Orthodox rabbi overseeing the wedding. That said,the rabbi overseeing the wedding is required to determine whether both parties are halachically Jewish.

In the United States, where it is well known that Conservative rabbis do not generally sign off on a ketubah for an interfaith couple, it can be sufficient to present a parents' Conservative ketubah as proof of Jewishness, along with some proof that the mother is not a convert (since Conservative converts are rarely halachically Jewish).

In other countries, particularly in Israel, further documentation is often required for someone from a Reform or Conservative background to get married.

In these cases, the best option is to work with the Beth Din of America, which will provide halachic proof of one's Jewish (and single) status. The process can be done entirely online but takes around two months.

Source: I am an American from a Reform background whose parents specifically had a Conservative rabbi officiate at their wedding so there would be no doubt about their children's Jewish status, who got married through the Edah Charedit in Israel

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