Linked Questions
61 questions linked to/from "Am I Jewish?"
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
6
votes
1
answer
295
views
Retroactive psak and conversions
B"H
I constantly read about Orthodox conversions which are retroactively nullified by the Israeli Rabbanut, sometimes affecting multiple generations. I am not writing this question to express nor ...
- 19.5k
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
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
5
votes
1
answer
131
views
How does someone adopted as an infant determine Jewish status?
While this question applies to me it is being edited to become more general in accordance with the rules of this site.
If an infant, the child of a non-Jewish mother (and therefore not Jewish), is ...
- 59
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