# Are adopted children of Jewish families Jewish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964 "2019-02-21T15:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/1 "2019-02-21T15:22:53Z")
According to rabbinical law, you are Jewish if your mother is. What if you are adopted into a Jewish family? Do you automatically acquire that status or do you have to undergo formal conversion (which, as I understand it, is a fairly long and difficult process). ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/2 "2019-02-21T15:47:50Z")
Orthodox point of view, others may differ: Adopted children have to undergo conversion, but it’s a fairly straightforward process, not like that of an adult convert. When reaching the age of Bar/Bat Mitzvah, they can opt in or out, although there’s no formal confirmation process or reconversion at that point. Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/3 "2019-02-21T17:14:48Z")
I was adopted into a Jewish family. When I was very young I did go through a conversion. It turns out that my birth mother was Jewish as well, so I didn’t need the conversion, but my mom wasn’t convinced that was true. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/4 "2019-02-21T17:20:20Z")
I was adopted into a Jewish family and we assume my birth mother was Jewish as it was handled by a private, Jewish agency. I don’t practice any religion but if pressed, I do consider myself Jewish. On the other hand, my brother, who is my parents biological child (and was bar mitzvahed! oy!) completely renounces any ties to Judaism. My mother and he argued over that one, I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/5 "2019-02-22T04:21:35Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > My mother and he argued over that one, I tell ya. She might mention to him that that just proves he’s really Jewish. We Jews just love to argue. (Yes, I’m Jewish.) ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/6 "2019-02-22T08:00:51Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > She might mention to him that that just proves he’s really Jewish. We Jews just love to argue. (Yes, I’m Jewish.) No, you’re not Jewish.\* \*I’m just trying to entertain you. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/7 "2019-02-22T12:46:19Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > My mother and he argued over that one, I tell ya. Not as much as my own mother, whom I told I was no longer Jewish, and was gay, and was marrying an atheist Muslim. Oy veh, indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/8 "2019-02-22T15:38:10Z")
I can’t imagine much tsuris for an adopted at birth baby. Though a baby boy might not feel much like attending that party for him when he’s 8 days old. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/9 "2019-02-22T17:17:30Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > No, you’re not Jewish.\* > > \*I’m just trying to entertain you. That’s not an argument… ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/10 "2019-02-22T23:43:18Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > That’s not an argument… Yes it is! ---
**Author:** ![don\_travis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@don\_travis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_travis)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adopted-children-of-jewish-families-jewish/829964/11 "2019-02-23T01:01:07Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Yes it is! Proof? .