What makes a Jew a Jew?

[QuickSilver]

This post will probably say more about me than I'd care to reveal were it not for the relative annonimity of this type of forum.

Here goes...

I'm not a believer. My feet are fairly firmly set in the atheist camp. I don't participate in religious ceremonies unless they are weddings, bar-mitzva's and sadly funerals. Keeping kosher is as foreign to me as a McDonalds cheeseburger to a hassidic jew. I had a bar-mitzva but only because I was too young to say no to my parents (and extended family) and I knew how much it would disappoint them if I refused. My family practices the high holiday judaism like the majority of reform North American jews. I don't even bother to that extent. Now that my kids are growing out of diapers, we celebrate - in a very non-denominational way - Chanukka, Passover and Yom Kippur. Why? Well, mostly because I'm a pretty good cook and we all love good home-made chicken soup with matzo balls. Not to mention schnitzel and potato latkes. Having said that, I consider plain, unadorned matza to be the 11th curse. My digestive tract will second that motion.

My wife is (as we often say in jest) a recovering catholic. She does not practice either. Despite that, Santa still makes his trip down our chimney every xmas eve to leave presents for our two kids and in the spring, the easter bunny still hides all the eggs that the kids have painted.

To top it all off I agree with A. Einstein who said (and I paraphrase) .... "those rocking and praying individuals of our race who stand facing the wall, they are people with a past but without a present or a future."

And yet, to the same extent that I feel myself a man, a husband and father, I consider myself a jew. Now I suspect I know why that is, and I will reveal that part of it. But first I'd like to hear what say the teaming millions (maybe teaming few) on this topic. What makes a jew a jew?

[sdimbert]

A Jew is someone who:
[list=1]
is born of a Jewish mother, or
converts to Judaism.
[/list=1]

Now, Reformed Jews believe that one born of a Jewish father (and not mother) is also Jewish - Orthodox and Conservative Jews vehemently disagree with this notion of patrilineal descent.

As far as the rest of your post, QuickSilver, it sounds like it belongs in either GD or MPSIMS instead of GQ. I am not going to tell you what to believe.

[QuickSilver]

...if a moderator would do the honours.... MPSIMS or GD it is.

[C K Dexter Haven]

Check out the Mailbag: Can you be an atheist and still be Jewish? (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mjewish.html)

But, despite legal definitions, the Lubavitchers argue that there is a Jewish Soul, that is born in you, that has nothing to do with practice or belief, but that sometimes causes you a yearning for the divine.

Yeah, well, Lubavitchers.

[Eve]

Quick, you might want to do what I do—I consider myself "culturally Jewish," but an atheist when it comes to actual religion. This explains it pretty succinctly to most people, and doesn't sound like we're trying to weasel out of our Jewish background.

[cmkeller]

Quicksilver, sdimbert gave you the Orthodox definition of Judiasm. However, I wish to elaborate on that a bit:

Even if you don't practice or believe any of the precepts of Judaism, Orthodox Jews will classify you as a Jew because in the eyes of the Torah, you are obligated to do so. That is what the definition sdimbert applies to. By the same token, one who does not meet his definition, no matter how Jewish he acts, is not Jewish because the Torah does not view this person as obligated to observe the commandments.

As for your Einstein quote, all I can say, is that he was a much better physicist than a sociologist. Anyone looking at current demographic trends amongst Jews will see that.

And...how in the world do you celebrate Yom Kippur by cooking??? What specific dishes are associated with Yom Kippur by whatever denominations don't believe in fasting on that day?

[QuickSilver]

As for your Einstein quote, all I can say, is that he was a much better physicist than a sociologist.


You may be right about that.


And...how in the world do you celebrate Yom Kippur by cooking??? What specific dishes are associated with Yom Kippur by whatever denominations don't believe in fasting on that day?


Maybe it's just in my grandmother's house but at sundown at the end of Yom Kippur, the tables are heaving with more food than can be imagined. It's as if the entire family has just returned from wondering through the desert for 40 years without a crumb of food. It's quite a funny site. Especially when she says, "You don't have to eat all of it.... just try a little bit of every-ting! - Ess faegaleh, Ess."

[cmkeller]

Ah! Well, to those of us who fast sundown-to-sundown on Yom Kippur, the big meal upon completion makes sense...it ain't tradition, it's hunger.

Chaim Mattis Keller

[QuickSilver]

Oh, I fast. Believe me, I fast. I may not go shull but I fast. How the hell else am I going to be able to eat all that food unless I've fasted for 24 hours.

[sdimbert]

Oh, I fast. Believe me, I fast. I may not go shull but I fast. How the hell else am I going to be able to eat all that food unless I've fasted for 24 hours.


:D
ROFL!!

[QuickSilver]

CKDex -

I read the post for which you were kind enough to provide the hot link. It all makes sense but for the last of it.
The part that really grates on me is where it says that it's okay to do the right thing for the wrong reason. Doesn't that smack rather loudly of hypocracy? Does it not encourage people to do "good" things for their owns self agrondisement and selfish ends? .... and please let's not go down that Ayne Rand Virtue of Selfishness road.... and yes, I know she was jewish.

[C K Dexter Haven]

Well, Quick, I don't think it's hypocrisy... Let me try to explain as follows.

Obviously, the best thing is to give charity because you truly want to help those in need. The action is right and the reason behind the action is right.

Less than that is someone who gives charity because they get their name on a plaque, or because they feel superior to those in need. The action is right, but the reason behind the action is wrong. This is less than ideal.

But worse than those is someone who does not give to charity at all. That is, it is better to give charity for the wrong reason than not to give. Someone whose "heart is in the right place" but they're always too busy and never get around to giving -- that person is lower on the scale than someone who gives for the wrong reasons.

Does that explain it better? One approach to Judaism says that the obligation of a Jew is to partner with God in helping to repair the world. Taking action to better the world is better than thinking good thoughts.

On this issue, I suspect that many of our Christian friends may differ.

[QuickSilver]

CKDex-

I think I undestood it right the first time. I even understand your point about net gain from the needy point of view.... as in, if I'm in need and someone helps me in order that they may gain better standing in their community then it's still a net gain to me as well as a shot in the arm for them which a) does not take away from my gain, and b) accomplishes a net gain for them as well. What could be wrong with that?!

Well, a lot in my opinion. First it tells me that this person is not to be trusted. If there was nothing in it for them then I would not be the happy recepient of their contrived benevolence. Secondly, it tells me that their humanity and convictions are for sale. If helping someone else would gets them a bigger plaque then so much for my rescue line. Thirdly, it tells me that once they gain a big enough plaque and a high enough standing in their community, they will forget about me and the needs of those like me. Finally, it tells me that as a Jew they may be fullfilling their requirements but as compassionate human beings, they are miserable failures.

I will be honest. I understand a person who I know will not give because I know their stance from the start. I cannot have any illusions about a person like that. At least they are honest in that respect. I absolutely cannot tollerate a person who's convictions change to suite their goals du jour. Is this a person who anyone can call a friend? Is this a person anyone can hold up as a shining representative example of the community? I think not and I think you'll agree.

[Chronos]

Quoth CKDextHavn:
Someone whose "heart is in the right place" but they're always too busy and never get around to giving -- that person is lower on the scale than someone who gives for the wrong reasons.
...
On this issue, I suspect that many of our Christian friends may differ.Actually, CK, that sounds a lot like one of Jesus's parables: There was a father who had two sons. He asked the first to (go out and do something in the fields, I don't remember what), but the sun refused. So he asked the second son, and the second son said he would. However, the second son became lazy, and did not, while the first repented, and did it. The point was that the first son was the better son for doing, than the second was for intending to do it. Yes, the situation isn't quite the same, but I think it's relelvant.

[manhattan]

The Op having been factually answered, I'm going to move this thread to In My Humble Opinion.

[Danielinthewolvesden]

IMHO, you are only a Jew if you practice that religion, even if only in the most "reformed" way. If your mom's a Jew, but you're a Catholic Priest, you are not a Jew. You are a Catholic, with a jewish mother (and trust me, many of us goyim also have had one of those, "oy vay!"). I will accept the fact that with your heritage you are more welcome "back", but I think the Pope might disagree with you having a "jewish" soul.

And I know, you CAN be converted, there are some instances of it in the OT, and I believe it still occurs, ie. Sammy Davis jr.

[soulsling]

hadn't seen this thread earlier, would've contributed then, but it seems not to matter now, so:
i was born a Jew as well Quick, and i even went to yeshiva. i've always been into learning more anyway though, so in High School, when i left yeshiva for a public school, i still went to "hebrew school" at the Jewish Theological Seminary in Manhattan. I really didn't pay much attention to most of the traditional, and religious learning, for the most part, i have forgotten so much, though not by choice, most of my childhood is forgotten for a number of reasons. But i loved learning hebrew, and i speak it fluently, spoke it at home with the folks, both Israelis, and with Israeli friends. Found myself drawn towards Buddhism more and more in HS, and less to Judaism. It wasn't until i joined the army and spent some time there that i felt my roots pulling at me, there were so many cultural differences between me and the rest of the world around me, the real world all of a sudden. No matter what in my life though, i always considered myself a Jew as a person. Something i believe about the Jews is that we are not a simple religion at all, but a nation of people. It's something that's been a natural feeling for me my whole life i suppose, even now, when i've ceased to attach myself to any religion in particular. So for me, a Jew is someone who comes from Judaism through their roots, and accepts that, and will admit that they are a Jew. It's like asking fish, how does it know it's a fish? A halibut just IS a fish. a fish is a fish. (to put it in Zen terms.) :)

[QuickSilver]

I've never had any doubts about my jewish identity. I don't wear it on my sleeve but neither do I shy away from it. But I often wonder what compells me to still feel that way even though I rarely practice even the most basic traditions. As I often joke, I'm a high holiday jew and even then you won't catch me inside a synagogue.

My jewish training was not the classical herbrew school training. My jewish training came from sometimes having to fight to get out of a school yard. Why? Because I was a jew growing up in the former Soviet Union. Being a jew was not a popular thing then (nor is it now from what I hear). Anyway, there were not the huge brawls that some may imagine. These were simple fights with the occasional bloody nose or lip. The kind of fights boys get into around the age of 10. Usually I would fight because I had no choice. Sometimes I would fight to defend the only other fellow jewish friend in my grade who wasn't much of a fighter and got picked on constantly by some of the other kids in class. In short, I learned about my ethnicity not in the yeshiva but in the school of hard knocks - literally. I got so tired of having to fight that one time, while signing up for a photography club, I marked my nationality as russian instead of jewish on the application form. I came home and told my parents what I'd done thinking they'd be proud of me for thinking on my feet and avoiding potential problems. They did not get angry at me or lecture me but I will never forget the disappointed looks on their faces. I never did that again.

Living in the former Soviet Union, we did not know much about classic jewish tradition. What we knew could be gathered in the palm of your hand with room to spare. Once a year, my grandfather managed to find five rounds of matzo for our Passover celebration. That was it. No pomp and circumstance, just a meal like most other large family meals with matzo being the central theme. No prayers, because no-one knew any. No history recitals, no-one knew much of that either. No mention of god because few but my grandparents illustrated any kind of belief in one. Essentially, I was born and raised an atheist and to this day, nothing else has ever made any sense.

We immigrated to Canada shortly before my 11th birthday. It was a long time before I had to fight again simply because someone decided to physically object to my being jewish. I was 18 or 19. Living in a predominantly jewish area (90% predominant) in Montreal. Walking home late one night from a bus stop, a friend and I were confronted by a four arab guys a few years older than we were. This was right after the massacre in southern Lebanon where the Christian Arab Militia entered two Muslim Arab towns and began shooting people indiscriminantly. The Israely army stood by on the outskirts and presumably did not attempt to stop the slaughter. I did not blame the Muslim community for being angry, I was angry too. But this was something else entirely. These four were on a mission to find and beat up a couple of jews in a country half way around the world simply because they were jews. I was not going to have that and I told my friend as events developed not to leave my side and to watch my back (as I would watch his) no matter what happened. The minute the first punch was thrown, I saw him sprinting like a rabbit in the oppisite direction through people's lawns and back yards. One guy followed him while I was left with three. Things could not have looked worse. Fortunately, the conviction of these guys left them after they realized I was not going to back down and that I knew how to handle myself in a fight. I consider myself very lucky to this day because these guys turned out to be bigger cowards than my so called friend sprinting through the yards.

I realized then and there that my connection to judaism is quite different than that of a Canadian born jewish kid who knows how to read hebrew, knows all the right things to do and say during a service in synagogue, but who has never had to stand up or defend himself for who he is simply because someone happens to take a strong offense to that fact.

Later, in college, I inadvertantly hooked up with some more jewish guys who, also Canadians born and bread, were a little different as well. These guys were members of the JDL (Jewish Defense League). They were good guys for the most part but a little too militant for me in many ways. I did not share their company for long, although, it was nice to know that a group like that did exist and did, in their own misguided way, try to protect their own community.

Anyway, I guess the moral of this long boring story is that many (perhaps not all) roads lead to Rome. I arrived at my jewishness not simply by birth but equally importantly by certains rights of passage which had nothing to do with practiced rituals, religion, or belief in god.

Now only one question remains. How do I pass that on to my kids? I'm certainly not goint to send them to yeshivas to study things I don't believe in myself. They are certainly not going to learn much about traditional jewish rituals from me. Unless it has something to do with cooking great chicken and matzo ball soup.... oh, and cougle, I make a mean cougle. With raisins. My wife thinks that this, combined with the jewish holidays we spend with my parents will give them what they need to learn about their jewish roots. I'm not entirely sure if it will be enough. I suppose this is where I begin to hope that there is something to genetic memory theories after all. ;)

[Girlbysea]

I'm not a Jew, but my dear neighbors are. When I look at them, I see wonderful people. What makes a Jew? What makes the rest of us? I think it's a heart...

[C K Dexter Haven]

Quick, we're not disagreeing on the deed vs thought. It is best to do the right thing for the right reason. We're at the lower level, now -- comparing (A) someone who doesn't do the right thing even though his heart is in the right place, to (B) someone who does do the right thing, but for the wrong reasons. Judaism says that (A) is the better of the two; not that those are idea or best, but that one is better than the other.

Basically, if you will allow another intepretation, Judaism says that it is better to give charity grudgingly than not to give at all. But best is to give with a joyful heart.

On how to raise your kids Jewish, I wish I knew the answer. The highest success rate is among the ultra-Orthodox sects, because their kids never see or talk to anyone outside their sect. Sort of like raising the kids in a monastery, they grow up not knowing anything else.

That aside, sociological studies seem to indicate that the best approach is for the family to celebrate Judaism -- food, holidays, Sabbath, keeping kosher -- joyfully, to make the kids feel good about it. However, strong Jewish education is also important. They will be faced with the challenge of secular life, and they need to have education to be able to know WHY and HOW to celebrate Judaism.

That's my 'umble hopinion.

[Danielinthewolvesden]

I am a bit confused by the "if only the father is a Jew, then the children are not jewish" thing. If you Mother was not Jewish, but your Father raised you up with all the observances, and you had a Bar mitza, did schul, prayed at the temple, etc, you still would not be considered Jewish by some?

[QuickSilver]

Basically, if you will allow another intepretation, Judaism says that it is better to give charity grudgingly than not to give at all. But best is to give with a joyful heart.


Fair enough. I'll conceed that point. But only because there is still a net benefit to the needy.


On how to raise your kids Jewish, I wish I knew the answer.
.
.
.
.
That aside, sociological studies seem to indicate that the best approach is for the family to celebrate Judaism -- food, holidays, Sabbath, keeping kosher -- joyfully, to make the kids feel good about it. However, strong Jewish education is also important. They will be faced with the challenge of secular life, and they need to have education to be able to know WHY and HOW to celebrate Judaism.


I appreciate your suggestions and thoughts on the matter but it looks like I'm going to have to find my own way to do this. By doing some of the above ( traditional Sabbaths, keeping kosher, religious education) while not believing in it myself, I'd only be teaching the kids how to be hypocrites. Not a desireable goal in the least.



[/B][/QUOTE]

[cmkeller]

Danielinthewolvesden:

I am a bit confused by the "if only the father is a Jew, then the children are not jewish" thing. If you Mother was not Jewish, but your Father raised you up with all the observances, and you had a Bar mitza, did schul, prayed at the temple, etc, you still would not be considered Jewish by some?

Check out my earliest post in this thread. If that doesn't answer your question, I don't know what will.

QuickSilver:

By doing some of the above ( traditional Sabbaths, keeping kosher, religious education) while not believing in it myself, I'd only be teaching the kids how to be hypocrites.

I agree with you that it would be hypocricy. So perhaps the first thing to do is ask yourself, "Why is it important to me to raise my child 'Jewish'? What does 'Judaism' mean to me?" Sure, to many others, including myself, it means following the Torah's commandments because I believe that they are the word of G-d, delivered to my ancestors. That's why it's important to me to live my life that way, and to raise my children that way. But if you don't believe that, then you need to come up with your own reasons, and then, once you know your reasons, you can tailor your children's Jewish education (with or without the help of your friends on this message board) to satisfy those reasons.

Chaim Mattis Keller

[Danielinthewolvesden]

CMK: maybe I'm brain dead or something, but no, it does not really answer my question. Please explain slowly, in wordsa goy can understand.

[Doug Bowe]

and will do this much better.

In the meantime, it is not always easy to prove who the Father of the child is. There is no question who the Mother is.
And DNA is very, very recent and not yet a part of interpretations.

[C K Dexter Haven]

Please note that, beginning tonight (Thursday June 8) and continuing for the next two days is a Jewish holiday, Shavuout, traditionally commemorating the epiphany at Sinai. It is a holiday mentioned in the Torah text as one of the three annual holidays.

Thus, unless they have time today, CMKeller and Zev and the other observant Jews will probably not be on the boards until Sunday June 11.

[cmkeller]

CKDextHavn:

Thus, unless they have time today, CMKeller and Zev and the other observant Jews will probably not be on the boards until Sunday June 11.

Well, I certainly have time today. And after today, I, at least, won't be back Sunday...I'll be back Monday. I do this from work.

Danielinthewolvesden:

Okay, I'll try to be clearer, if possible. Allow me to re-state your question in the simplest terms, and if I'm getting that wrong, then clearly, that's my problem.

Your question was: If one's father raised him and instructed him in Jewish observances, and involved him in Jewish religious ceremonies, and he kept all the Jewish commandments, why would the fact that your mother was not Jewish make people consider you not Jewish? If you practice Jewish, and you believe Jewish, why does your mother's descent make a difference?

My answer is: According to Jewish belief, if your mother is not Jewish (and you never converted), you were never obligated to perform any Jewish commandments or rituals. If you do so, then what you did was follow the Torah as an option, not as an obligation. Orthodox Jews define a Jew as one who bears this obligation.

Hope this comes across better than my first post did.

Chaim Mattis Keller

[Danielinthewolvesden]

What, then, constitutes "conversion"?


And I know I am going to offend a few, but please don't get offended, I am posting this next out of the ironical situation that just hit me. Picture one of the Concentration Camps in nazi Germany, in the beginning. A very Othodox Jew is looking at his neighbor, who's father is Jewish, but his mother is not. He says "YOU don't belong here!"

[cmkeller]

Danielinthewolvesden:

What, then, constitutes "conversion"?

Well, amongst the Orthodox Jews, it requires acceptance of the obligation to observe the Torah, immersion in a ritual bath ("Mikvah"), and, for males, circumcision (if the guy was already circumcised, a symbolic drop of blood from that organ is released by, forgive the pun, pricking it with a pin).

The key word in the above paragraph is obligation, as in my prior posts. Once someone has formally accepted these obligations, he is as obligated as any Jew-from-birth.

Picture one of the Concentration Camps in nazi Germany, in the beginning. A very Othodox Jew is looking at his neighbor, who's father is Jewish, but his mother is not. He says "YOU don't belong here!"

All I can say is that anyone who would say that is a total jackass. According to Orthodox Jewish belief, anyone who suffers due to an association with Judaism is considered a holy martyr just as much as someone who suffers because he actually is a Jew.

Chaim Mattis Keller

[Danielinthewolvesden]

Thanks, CMK; So in my example, the guy would probably go thru "conversion" if he was Orthodox, and would not feel a need to if Conservative or Reform. So, really, he would be a Jew. Perhaps if he did not go thru the entire ceremory if he was Conservative, some of the Orthodox would say he is not Jewish, but he prob would not care. (I did hear one Orthodox Jewish lady, say, perhaps in jest "What do we call the Reform? We call them Christians").


And I sincerely doubt that any truly Observant Jew would make that camp remark. But in Judaism, as in Christianity, there are those who follow the outward trappings without the belief in their hearts.

[Danielinthewolvesden]

Would you fellows like to explain a bit about your Holiday you just had? I know it is a harvest festival, celebrated 50 days after Passover (after the 2nd day), that it is mentioned in Lev23:15+, and it is roughly similar to the Christian Pentecost, but beyond that I am stumped. Why is it not on any of my calendars, for example?

[Kyla]

First, Chag Sameach. One of the reasons I am eager to leave my parents' house is so that I can go back to practicing Judaism.

Shavuot, or Shavuos, depending on your pronunciation, is the festival commemorating the giving of the Torah. Shavuot means "weeks" in Hebrew, because it takes place five weeks after Pesach (someone help me out here!) - which is why it is sometimes called Pentecost. The Megillat Rut, the Book of Ruth, is traditionally read at services. Additionally, people stay awake all night and learn Torah. If you happen to be in Jerusalem on Shavuot, it is a stunning sight to watch the crowds of people make their way to the Kotel, the Western Wall, just before sunrise. Here you will see one of the biggest problems in Israel live. Every year, a group of Reform and Conservative Jews hold an egalitarian service in which women participate in the reading of the megillah. And every year, haredim harrass and sometimes physically attack them. Last year, I happened to be a participant in that minyan, and it was probably the most frightening thing that happened to me in eleven months in Israel. We were surrounded by the police and barricades, but the behavior of the so-called pious was heartbreaking. Fortunately, no one was physically injured.

That was kind of a hijack. I'm sorry. I'm sure that someone else could describe the significance of Shavuot and the Megillat Rut better than I, so I will not even attempt.

By the way, my father is Jewish and my mother is not (although Ashkenazi Jew makes up the "largest slice" of my ethnic "pie", if you know what I mean). Both of my parents are atheists, and I was raised that way. In fact, my great grandparents were Russian atheist communists, and by the time my dad came around, no one in the family had any semblance of religious knowledge whatsoever, and were Jewish only culturally - his family celebrated NO holidays that had anything to do with ANY religion. Probably as a result of this, I've been interested in religion since I was in junior high, and knew I wanted to go to Israel for that reason since high school. After I started college, various events and people taught me about what it means to be Jewish, something I was not raised with. I presently affiliate with the Reform movement, because they accept patrilineal descent, but intend to convert Conservative at some point. While certain movements may not accept me as a Jew, I have a number of Conservative and Orthodox friends who do, no questions asked. And that's more important to me, anyway.

Od pa'am, chag sameach l'culam.

[cmkeller]

Kyla, you underestimate yourself. You're clearly knowledgeable enough about Shavuot, and I'm sure you know something of the reasons why we read Ruth on that day. But, for the record, here are some reasons:

Ruth was a well-known righteous convert. On Shavuot, when the Jewish people received the Torah, all Israelites became, in effect, converts.
Ruth was an ancestress of King David, who, according to tradition, died on Shavuot.
The main portions of the story of Ruth take place at the time of the barley harvest, which is around the time of Shavuot
Ruth takes advantage of the gifts to the poor that all Jewish farmers are commanded to leave in their fields. (one source for) this commandment is found in the same portion of the Torah that describes Shavuot (Leviticus 23:15-22).

Also, a correction:

Shavuot means "weeks" in Hebrew, because it takes place five weeks after Pesach (someone help me out here!) - which is why it is sometimes called Pentecost.

Close. There is a commandment in the Torah (see the verses cited above) to count seven weeks from the second day of Passover. The day after that count is completed, day # 50, is Shavuot...hence Pentecost, not from 5, but from 50.

Chaim Mattis Keller

[C K Dexter Haven]

Also, the association of Shavuot with the epiphany at Mount Sinai is a later association. The Torah itself does not mention the connection between the Festival of Weeks (Seven Weeks times seven days, it's a mystic number) and the giving of the Torah. The Torah itself only accounts for Shavuot as one of the three harvest festivals.

[rackensack]

Thanks, CMK; So in my example, the guy would probably go thru "conversion" if he was Orthodox, and would not feel a need to if Conservative or Reform. So, really, he would be a Jew. Perhaps if he did not go thru the entire ceremory if he was Conservative, some of the Orthodox would say he is not Jewish, but he prob would not care. (I did hear one Orthodox Jewish lady, say, perhaps in jest "What do we call the Reform? We call them Christians").

As one who converted under the auspices of a Conservative rabbi, I can say that most Conservative rabbis would also feel that a formal conversion was called for; someone raised in a Conservative shul would undoubtedly recognize the necessity as well, whether they chose to act on it or not. Only the Reform (and perhaps the Reconstructionist) movement recognizes patrilineal descent. The person in your example might be a Jew in the eyes of the Reform movement (and possibly his own), but not those of the Conservative or Othodox movements. The key distinction, as Chaim has pointed out, is that the Conservative and Orthodox movements regard obeying the commandments as an obligation for all Jews, both those born Jewish according to Jewish law and those who willingly accept that obligation for themselves. The person in your example fits neither criteria, and thus, having never accepted that obligation, is not Jewish. The Reform movement regards Jewish law as "having a vote, not a veto"; it informs the actions of Reform Jews, but they are not (and here's that word again) obligated to follow it; carried to its logical conclusion, this means they aren't obligated to respect Jewish law and tradition regarding the definition of who's Jewish.

Of course, there isn't any central registry of who's Jewish and who isn't, so if the guy in your example did nothing to call attention to the fact that his mother wasn't Jewish, he'd probably encounter no problems until he decided to make aliyah (emigrate to Israel). In that event, his status might be examined closely enough to require proof, and the Israeli religious courts that oversee such issues would undoubtedly require a conversion under the auspices of an Orthodox rabbi, with an Orthodox bet din.

FWIW, the difference between a Conservative and an Orthodox conversion is basically which movement the rabbis involved are affiliated with; mine involved about eighteen months of study, the last fifteen studying directly with a rabbi, a mikvah and the hatafat dam brit (thankfully, I was circumcised at birth), along with a bet din of three Conservative rabbis. Orthodox rabbis will tend to be somewhat stricter in the standards of observance expected of the ger (prospective convert).

[Kyla]

Of course, there isn't any central registry of who's Jewish and who isn't, so if the guy in your example did nothing to call attention to the fact that his mother wasn't Jewish, he'd probably encounter no problems until he decided to make aliyah (emigrate to Israel). In that event, his status might be examined closely enough to require proof, and the Israeli religious courts that oversee such issues would undoubtedly require a conversion under the auspices of an Orthodox rabbi, with an Orthodox bet din.

The Law of Return is purposely intended to be a reverse of the Nuremberg Laws - anyone with one Jewish grandparent can make aliyah. So the guy in question probably could make aliyah. However, he would not be considered as Jewish - his identity card would refer to him as a gentile. Additionally, if someone converts to Reform or Conservative Judaism outside of Israel, they are allowed to make aliyah as a Jew. However, if someone converts to one of those movements IN Israel, they will NOT be considered Jewish. As most Israelis are secular, they don't really care a lot in most situations, but this can be a problem when one is getting married, as Orthodox rabbis will generally refuse to wed someone who has converted Reform or Conservative. If you really really really don't want to convert Orthodox, something a number of people do is go to Cyprus and get married there - international treaty requires that Israel recognize those marriages.