Who is a Jew According to halakhah (Jewish Religious Law)?
According to
Jewish law, a child born to a Jewish mother or an adult who has
converted to Judaism is considered a Jew; one does not have to reaffirm their Jewishness or practice any of the laws of the Torah to be Jewish. According to
Reform Judaism, a person is a Jew if they were born to either a Jewish mother or a
Jewish father. Also, Reform Judaism stresses the importance of being raised Jewish; if a child is born to Jewish parents and was not raised Jewish then the child is not considered Jewish. According to the
Orthodox movement, the father’s religion and whether the person practices is immaterial. No affirmation or upbringing is needed, as long as the mother was Jewish.
Besides for differing opinions on
patrilineal descent, the various streams also have different
conversion practices. Conversion done under the auspices of an Orthodox rabbi, entails Jewish study,
brit milah (for men), mikvah (for both men and women) and a stated commitment to follow the laws of the Torah.
Conservative conversions use the same requirements as the Orthodox do; however, conversions by the
Reform movement and other streams do not have the same requirements. Since the conversion practices are not uniform, many
Orthodox Jews do not recognize Reform or Conservative conversions as valid and, hence, do not consider the converts
Jews. Once a person has
converted to Judaism, he is not referred to by any special term; he is as much a Jew as anyone born Jewish.
Who Is A Jew?
Although the Hebrew Bible defines Jewish identity in patrilineal terms (determined by the identity of the father) the
Mishnah states that the offspring of a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father is recognized as a Jew, while the offspring of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father is considered a non-Jew. This talmudic position became normative in Jewish law.
Who Is a Jew: Patrilineal Descent | My Jewish Learning
In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek.
Galatians 3:28
