Linked Questions
61 questions linked to/from "Am I Jewish?"
14
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Does a Jewish grandmother (mother's side) really get one accepted as a Jew? [duplicate]
My grandmother (mother's side) is 100% Jewish and even living in Israel. As far as I know, that makes, me a Jew, too. But it feels a little bit strange to say that I am Jewish just because my ...
- 143
10
votes
2
answers
8k
views
My great great grandmother was Jewish - am I? [duplicate]
I've discovered that my great, great grandmother was Jewish - i.e. my mother's mother's mother's mother. She converted to Catholicism upon marriage. Are matrilineal descendants of a Jewess who ...
- 101
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is the child of a convert, conceived after she converted, Jewish? [duplicate]
If a woman converted before she conceived any children are they considered Jewish? Even with a non-Jewish father? I understand that non-Jewish mothers with Jewish husbands do not have Jewish children ...
- 21
0
votes
2
answers
993
views
Mother was adopted into Jewish family and raised Jewish, and she raised me as a Jew... Will my children be Jewish? [duplicate]
My mother was adopted, raised as a reform Jew and became Bat Mitzvah, continued with her Jewish studies through Confirmation...but I do recall her finding out one day that her parents never officially ...
2
votes
3
answers
620
views
Children of converts to another religion [duplicate]
What's the status of the offspring of a Jewish woman who converted to another religion (knowing the woman herself nonetheless remains Jewish)? Are they still Jewish?
- 239
9
votes
1
answer
420
views
Extent of matrilineal descent [duplicate]
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 ...
- 2,139
5
votes
2
answers
608
views
Do people who are Jewish by ancestry but are descendents of apostates need to convert? [duplicate]
Suppose a Jewish woman converts to Christianity. Her children find out about their Jewish ancestry and decide that Judaism is right for them. Do they have to go through a conversion process? Does it ...
- 24.5k
3
votes
1
answer
651
views
If my maternal grandmother's maternal grandmother was Jewish, does that mean I'm technically Jewish? [duplicate]
My family is from the Netherlands and my grandmother was always aware that her grandmother was Jewish but she did not mention it to the family until recently, mainly because of hangover trauma from ...
- 31
0
votes
2
answers
151
views
Is it true that for one to become a Jew he has to be either born Jew or his mother is a Jew? [duplicate]
I saw a video on youtube of a Jewish guy saying that no one can can be a Jew unless he is born Jew or his mother is a Jew.
- 111
2
votes
2
answers
155
views
Ramifications of a Baby Switch [duplicate]
At the hospital 2 newborns get swapped, one Jewish for one not. 20 yrs later someone realizes what happened & informs both kids of the mistake, does their status change? Does the ‘non Jewish’ boy ...
- 1,094
3
votes
1
answer
325
views
Is the matrilineal descendant of a convert Jewish? [duplicate]
A woman converted to Judaism to marry a man who was a practicing Jew and Jewish by birth. Their great-grandchild recently learned this. Is that great-grandchild considered a Jew according to halacha?...
- 33
2
votes
1
answer
178
views
What if someone thinks he is a Jew but his ancestor had not orthodox conversion/was gentile? [duplicate]
So I thought. These days, most Orthodox Jews would not consider people converted in a Conservative or Reform branch of Judaism jewish, right? But how do you know, as an Orthodox Jew, that you are 100 %...
- 29
4
votes
1
answer
205
views
Can I become Jewish just by saying “I am a Jew”? [duplicate]
I am interested in the faith of Judaism. I am curious about being “informally Jewish”. This is because I am interested in this religion because of its history and willingness to be open. I am not ...
- 141
2
votes
1
answer
182
views
Adoption Mixups & Matrilineal Descent [duplicate]
A most perplexing question was posed to me today, curious to see others thoughts --
A baby girl is adopted after the first day of birth. The adoptive parents are a frum couple who are told the baby'...
- 177
0
votes
0
answers
140
views
I was raised Luthern. My last name is apparently Jewish [duplicate]
I am looking for answers. I have discovered my last name is considered a Jewish name. Glasser. I was raised Lutheran,as are all of my family. Is it possible to become Jewish even though I believe in ...
1
vote
1
answer
92
views
What is the process involved in a Beth Din recognition of Jewish status? [duplicate]
I was curious if someone could give me a breakdown regarding what the process would be for a person to receive recognition of their status through the Beth Din.
I'm not speaking to conversion but of ...
user13783
1
vote
1
answer
69
views
Am I Jewish? How to go about proving this is my Grandmother is deceased? [duplicate]
I am sure there are many other questions that have similarities to mine. I apologize ahead of time if this irritates anyone.
Growing up I always felt a strange kinship with the jewish children in our ...
1
vote
0
answers
110
views
European Jewish DNA 0%? [duplicate]
I'm really confused and I'm hoping someone here might have the answer, or at least be able to point me in the right direction.
Let me begin with how my DNA test results have come as a shock. When I ...
0
votes
0
answers
92
views
Are you Jewish if adopted immediately after birth by a Jewish mother raised and having lived Catholic? [duplicate]
This is a hypothetical with a fact pattern that has not been answered by any previous questions.
Generally, a non-Jew adoptee in a Jewish family will be Jewish by halachic upbringing.
If a child of a ...
- 109
2
votes
0
answers
77
views
Retroactive annulment of conversion? [duplicate]
If a woman converts to Judaism, has a baby, and then converts to Christianity, is the baby still considered a born Jew? That is, can the woman's conversion be retroactively annulled in a way that ...
-2
votes
1
answer
64
views
Halacha to be jew (from parents) [duplicate]
I have a friend that her grandfather (from her mother) was jew, he married a woman that wasn't jew.
What is the halachic position of this friend of mine??? Is she considered to be jew? If not, what ...
- 559
1
vote
0
answers
59
views
Is a convert considered a real Jew if not keeping kosher? [duplicate]
If a person converts to Judaism is he/she considered a real Jew if he/she doesn’t keep kosher?
I’m concerned because my mother converted properly and in accordance with Jewish law, but she never ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
56
views
Is a converted Jew with no Jewish ancestral background or lineage considered a Jew? [duplicate]
I wonder if a gentile converts to Judaism and has no Jewish family background at all then is that person considered a Jew? Are there any sects in Judaism that have this restriction?
Any citations or ...
- 903
0
votes
0
answers
51
views
Am I Jewish By All Accounts? [duplicate]
I have been a religious college student for the past two years. I was raised Jewish, underwent a Brit Milah at my birth, was a Bar Mitzvah, and my father's side of the family is Jewish, ethnically and ...
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
46
views
Does the lineage cross from mother to son [duplicate]
My Great Great Grand Mother was Jewish. She had three children. Two deceased not long after birth; one survived. The surviving child was a male. Would he be Jewish because of his mother? Would ...
- 11
0
votes
0
answers
46
views
My maternal 4th-great grandmother, born in 1787, had a Jewish maiden name, Zagel, and lived in Eastern Europe. Am I, therefore, Jewish? [duplicate]
My maternal 4th-great grandmother, born in 1787, had a Jewish maiden name, Zagel, and lived in Eastern Europe. Am I, therefore, Jewish?
I was raised in the Roman Catholic religion, yet, since I was 8 ...
- 1
2
votes
0
answers
40
views
Al pi halacha, are descendents from Marranos considered Jewish? [duplicate]
What level of proof would be needed for a person whose ancestors lived in Mexico and who claims to be a descendant of the Marranos to be considered Jewish for the sake of marriage? Or are all such ...
- 7,764
0
votes
0
answers
33
views
Does a Jewish great grandmother (mother's side) qualify me to make Aliyah? [duplicate]
My great grandmother was Gertrude Wirtschafter. She married a non-jew but her mother was jewish and married a jew. My great-great grandmother was Rose Wirtschafter and her husband was Abram Katz. I ...
1
vote
0
answers
27
views
How far back must one go to know they are Jewish? [duplicate]
There are certainly people who are unsure about their Jewish lineage. However, even if they know their mother is jewish, and therefore they are as well, how far back must one go? If they prove their ...
- 1,035
0
votes
0
answers
26
views
Am I considered Jewish if? [duplicate]
my great-grandmother's grandparents were Russian Jews who left Russia during the programs in the early 1900s. When they came over to the United States, they had my great-great grandmother, who then ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
24
views
I discovered a family member of mine is Jewish. Am I Jewish? [duplicate]
I've been recently reading about what determines whether someone is Jewish.
I've done this because I discovered my grandfather's father (my great-grandfather) from my mother's side was Jewish (...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
18
views
Is Jewish orphan raised outside of Israel considered automatically as a Hebrew person? [duplicate]
Would a person born of both Jewish parents, but raised in an orphanage house in another country, say, in France, and, thus, not knowing a word in Hebrew, would still be considered as a Jew by the ...
- 309
1
vote
0
answers
17
views
Identifying someone as being Jewish [duplicate]
How many generations back is one allowed to go to identify himself as being Jewish? If a Jew converts to another religion, he is still Jewish and his descendants are Jewish.
Does this mean that if ...
- 69.6k
49
votes
8
answers
7k
views
Can a Jew lose their Jewish Status?
Can a Jew lose their status as being a Jew by performing any action (example: performing idolatry, disavowing core beliefs, converting to another religion, etc)? Or once a person is a Jew then they ...
- 5,196
24
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Hebrew document found in grandfather's attic—what does it state?
I found this document in my grandfather's attic and would be thankful if someone could tell me (a) what this document is, (b) whether there are any names written, and (c) which, if any, religious ...
- 251
14
votes
1
answer
18k
views
Does a finding of Jewish blood in a DNA test make one Jewish?
I had a DNA test done and the results say that my DNA is group with Sephardic Jews. My last name is Steen and I have always heard that we were of Dutch ancestry and I do genealogy and have not found ...
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Joining a synagogue after two generations non-practising
My (Jewish) great-grandparents came to the UK from Poland during the second world war, but due to their experiences of violent anti-semitism, hid their Jewishness from the public in the UK. The result ...
- 221
11
votes
2
answers
253
views
Why did the son of the Egyptian and Jew have to convert?
Rashi on Vayikra 24:10 says that the son of the Egyptian man (that Moshe killed) and Shlomit bat Divri converted:
בתוך בני ישראל: מלמד שנתגייר:
However, since his mother was a Jew, why did he ...
- 22.9k
-6
votes
2
answers
5k
views
When did the switch to matrilineal descent occur?
Does anyone know when the switch the matrilineal descent took place? I've seen other information about the potential impetus, but when did it become so? Was there even a switch?
- 2,437
12
votes
2
answers
644
views
If a convert goes off the derekh, must he go to the mikvah again after he repents?
A female convert I know, who had stopped observing mitzvos for a few years, but then sought to return to the fold, was led to believe by someone that she would have to go again to the mikvah to ...
- 15.8k
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does Orthodox Judaism Recognize Reform Conversions?
If a person converted into the Reform or Conservative (Masorti) Movements, would Orthodox Jews consider them to be Jewish in the first place?
This is also assuming the person keeps basic Kosher (not ...
user7069
1
vote
3
answers
1k
views
Are converts to Judaism considered inferior in any way to Jews who are ethnically Jewish?
I use the word "inferior" for want of a better word as it has negative connotations, try to disregard those connotations when reading the question.
I'm wondering if someone converts to Judaism, are ...
- 477
3
votes
3
answers
417
views
What is my status with God?
I am asking in a manner where “I” represents people like me, in the sense that the answer might apply to me but also more broadly to others.
By “status with God” Interpret as “what consequences may ...
- 268
5
votes
2
answers
237
views
Other than Avraham has there ever been an organized attempt to draw new converts to Judaism?
We know that in very early Judaism Avraham and Sarah converted people to Judaism
We know that if your mother was Jewish you are Jewsish
We know that it is possible for a Gentile to convert to Judaism ...
- 523
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
Star of david with cross in middle? Okay to have (tattoo Question) [duplicate]
firstly I understand that tattoos are forbidden in many ways, I am not Jewish, however I come from a christian family whom down the line there are Jewish members down the line.
long story short I ...
- 11
8
votes
3
answers
836
views
How far must one be able to trace one's Jewish lineage?
I have heard some talk to the effect that as long as an American Jew can trace his/her maternal lineage back to prewar Europe, he/she can be assumed to be Jewish.
Is this true? I assume there must ...
- 19.5k
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Matrilineal descent & Zera Israel
Would someone with Jewish heritage from a distant foremother on their maternal grandfather's side be considered Zera Yisrael?
In other words, does the person fit the definition of Zera Yisrael since ...
- 2,139
4
votes
2
answers
387
views
Is a male considered Jewish if his dad is Jewish and his mom is not jewish but the dad had his male child have a brit-millah
I have uncles and cousins who married non-Jewish women but had their boys have brit-millah when they were babies. Are they considered Jewish under orthodox Judaism?
- 41
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
I recently found out I have Jewish ancestry. I want to learn more about Judaism, but what is appropriate?
I recently found out I have Jewish ancestry through a DNA test (Ashkenazi; it helped to explain why I got bowel cancer at a young age since the risk is high in that group). Apparently my grandmother ...
-3
votes
3
answers
766
views
Does adhering to Torah make one a Jew?
I have heard Rabbi Asher Meza say that if one "adheres to Torah," this makes one a Jew; is this true at all?
- 492