Am I Jewish or should I convert?

Question

My mother told me that I was Jewish when I was a kid, but she has no proof. I asked my grandparents on her side and they said that we are not but they will not tell me anything more. My grandmother gave me the name of her grandmother but I looked and found that person does not exist. They are not being helpful. I would like to join the community but I have no proof. Should I just convert?

By saying my great grandmother did not exist, I meant when I searched for her name, I could not find her in any records.

Answer 1

OK- in order to be accepted into a community you are going to have to do prove matrilineal descent (assuming you want to be orthodox- if you only want to be conservative or reform, patrilineal descent is also ok). What this means is that the Jewish side has to come down through the female line. So, thats your first hurdle.

The second hurdle is finding proof that somewhere along the line one of them is Jewish. often this can be proven via the ketubah (marriage document)- but if they were from Eastern Europe- most of those records were destroyed by the Nazis. if they were from the UK or USA- then you would have to find out where they were married, and hope that the shul still exists- or that someone knows where those records are kept.

Your best bet is to speak tot he Rabbi of the community you want to join. He will probably advise you to speak to the local beis Din (Rabbinical Court) if there are enough Jews in the city for one, or he will put you in contact with the Beis Din for your area if there is one that controls a few cities locally (what happens when the Jewish communities in the area are not big enough for a Beis Din in their area). they will tell you the best way to proceed. Contact me for more info if you like.

Answer 2

Perhaps your ancestors were crypto Jews -- Jews forced to convert to Christianity, but practiced Judaism in secret. It wasn't long ago when it was very dangerous to be a Jew and the truth was kept from children in order to protect them.

If you are interested in your ancestors, do some research on Crypto-Jews, conversos, and the derogatory term marranos. You might find your background very interesting!

If you are interested in Judaism itself, rather than your background, contact a rabbi as others have said and learn all you can. You may decide against conversion, but the journey will be enlightening! Judaism is a journey, not a destination.

Here's a couple of books to get you started:
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism" by Rabbi Benamin Blech, and "The Book of Jewish Belief" by Louis Jacobs.

I also liked "This is My God" by Herman Wouk.

However, you will never understand Judaism without participating in the holidays and community life. Have you attended a Jewish service yet?

BTW, beware Jews-for-Jesus. They are NOT Jews! They are one of the many pesky door-to-door peddlers of Christianity.
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Answer 3

I understand what you're asking. I'm assuming that your mother doesn't actively practice Judaism either. I'm about 99% certain that you'll have to convert in order to be recognized as Jewish--note that I said "recognized" as apart from "feel"; you may already "feel" Jewish.

So, the best thing to do is to call a local synagogue and ask to speak to the rabbi. Ask the rabbi for an opinion which will be far more authoritative than anyone on YA. I'm about 99% sure that they'll tell you to convert. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions. Good luck.

Answer 4

How do you know your great grandmother as given to you by your grandmother didn't exist? That puzzles me as I'm sure many have never made it to the Internet.

For instance I can locate information about my maternal Grandmothers mother. But can't find anything on my paternal grandfather!

I can find information about my maternal Grandfather's grandmother but nothing on my paternal Grandmother. And I Know she existed as did my paternal Grandfather.

since you want to practice Judaism, and have not been taught any of it. Just go through the conversion process...

Answer 5

You said:

My grandmother gave me the name of her grandmother but I looked and found that person does not exist

How are you here if there was that kind of "break" in your family tree?

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Anyway, you should have the right to believe in anything you want to. But, you should also respect your mother though, cause all religions teach that. If you find a religion you like, i say, go for it.

I'm Christian, my sister is Catholic, my mother is Buddhist and my dad is neutral. Everyone respects eachother's religion and it's all good.

You said you grandmother denies that you are Jewish, so I'm not sure what you mean by "join[ing] the community".

Answer 6

Since you weren't raised in a Jewish community, perhaps it would make sense for you to go through the process and ceremony of conversion anyway. That way you'll be certain of your identity.

Speak with the rabbi.

Answer 7

In order to be recognized as a Jew you would most likely need to convert. However, I'm not necessarily advising that. I am Jewish myself but I found truth in Jesus Christ.

Answer 8

Judism has two aspects- a religion and a culture. They are usually seen as entwined, but there are some jews who share in the culture while holding non-jewish religious views. Perhaps that's the catagory for you?

Regardless, nobody can tell you that you ARE part of any religion. That's something for you and you alone to decide.

Answer 9

You either believe or you don't. You may have Jewish ancestry but that does not mean you are obliged to visit Jerusalem and rock back and forth before the Wailing Wall. If you're interested look into Jewish history and culture. If you are a novel reader you might find George Eliot's 1978 novel Daniel Deronda interesting (if you're not a novel reader, don't even pick it up, it's 800+ pages).

Answer 10

Do your family tree and you will find out, it is not that hard to do, just go to the places where any grandparents, great grandparents,etc died and check with the city hall for death certificates.