# Enough about British Royal succession. When can Borat (Sascha Cohen) become High Priest of the Jews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725 "2013-07-28T05:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/1 "2013-07-28T05:40:51Z")
The documentation of priestly matriarchal descent of the eligible Jews–[Kohens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohen)–is surprisingly strong. It’s nice to imagine Rodney Dangerfield (b. Jacob Rodney Cohen) decked out with Urim and Thurim. Either of the Coen brothers still can. Roy Cohn undoubtedly would have snagged it if the price was right. Any Talmudists out there? I’m not even a Levite…☹ Just a Heeb plebe (Israelite). ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/2 "2013-07-28T06:00:15Z")
To pick a nit, Kohanim are determined by patrilineal descent. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/3 "2013-07-28T06:17:34Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > To pick a nit, Kohanim are determined by patrilineal descent. Which means that technically, you can be a Cohen even if your father isn’t Jewish. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/4 "2013-07-28T13:45:08Z")
How would’ve George M Cohan fared? > **[George M. Cohan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M._Cohan)** > > George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878 – November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. > Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans". Beginning with Little Johnny Jones in 1904, he wrote, composed, produced, and appeared in more than three dozen Broadway musicals. Cohan wrote more than 50 shows and published more than 300 songs during his lifetime... ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/5 "2013-07-28T19:10:09Z")
First, I love this thread. Second, I think the consensus among sages is that we have to wait for the moshiach to arrive before we can have a new kohen and a new Temple for him to officiate at. We will, of course, also need flawless red heifers. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/6 "2013-07-28T19:24:33Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > First, I love this thread. > We will, of course, also need flawless red heifers. There’s a joke in there somewhere about the obesity epidemic and sunburn risk due to the ozone hole… ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-british-royal-succession-when-can-borat-sascha-cohen-become-high-priest-of-the-jews/664725/7 "2013-07-28T20:23:03Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > We will, of course, also need flawless red heifers. > [@md2000](#): > > There’s a joke in there somewhere about the obesity epidemic and sunburn risk due to the ozone hole… Or an unkind one about Sascha Baron Cohen’s [wife](http://0.tqn.com/d/beauty/1/0/1/y/Isla_Fisher.jpg) ( depending on whether you want to emphasize “flawless” or “heifer”, I suppose ) ;).