# Hitler relative converts to Judaism **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222 "2014-10-03T00:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/1 "2014-10-03T00:08:18Z")
The recent round of Hitler threads caused me to speculate in weird alternatives. Hitler had surviving relatives who were not Nazis. What do you suppose the reaction would be if sometime in the 1950’s or 1960’s or even one of them decided to convert to Judaism? From what I know about Judaism from Jewish friends, I believe their petition would at least be seriously discussed. After all, they are innocent of the crimes of their relative. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/2 "2014-10-03T00:25:15Z")
Would anyone care? During the war the U.S. Navy accepted William Patrick Hitler, his nephew (son of Hitler’s half-brother, Alois Jr.). ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/3 "2014-10-03T02:16:33Z")
Are past misdeeds ever a bar to converting to Judaism? AFAIK the two basic requirements are sincere belief and a willingness to follow the rules. Sort of the same basic rules as most faiths. I’m more familiar with Christianity, and one of the big emphases that is commonly made there is that anyone can convert at anytime. Paul even mentions in 1 Corinthians 6 that many Christians were people who would have failed a background check. Also, Paul joined only after spending a while on the other side persecuting Christians. In fact, it has become somewhat of a trend for Christians to almost boast about how bad they used to be until they Found Jesus ™. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/4 "2014-10-03T02:22:19Z")
Several branches of Hitler’s extended family had serious mental problems. One branch had to be sterilized to keep them from reproducing. I don’t know whether any of this would disqualify them to converting to Judaism. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/5 "2014-10-03T13:03:03Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Several branches of Hitler’s extended family had serious mental problems. One branch had to be sterilized to keep them from reproducing. I don’t know whether any of this would disqualify them to converting to Judaism. Not that I know of, but then again I am not Jewish. Also if they were sterilized against their will that would probably cancel it out anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/6 "2014-10-03T13:14:01Z")
Wasn’t Vic Hitler Jewish? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/7 "2014-10-03T13:26:03Z")
It depresses me that there are still people out there that believe in ancestral sin or genetic sin or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/8 "2014-10-03T13:29:12Z")
Who cares? It’s make an amusing subject for [one of those _Downfall_ rants](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA20DAC818C423798), though. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/9 "2014-10-03T15:16:49Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It depresses me that there are still people out there that believe in ancestral sin or genetic sin or whatever. Actually, I really wasn’t thinking about the Jewish reaction being to deny him or her the right to convert. As far as I can tell there is nothing that would prevent a relataive of Hitler from becoming a Jew. But I wonder what the world reaction would be, especially ex or current Nazis and other anti-semites. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/10 "2014-10-03T15:45:29Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > Actually, I really wasn’t thinking about the Jewish reaction being to deny him or her the right to convert. As far as I can tell there is nothing that would prevent a relataive of Hitler from becoming a Jew. But I wonder what the world reaction would be, especially ex or current Nazis and other anti-semites. I don’t think the Jewish community would care. But we do have examples of people from other types of hate groups converting out and getting grief, including people who have come from a KKK/racist background and become tolerant, and the son of prominent atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair who became a Christian (her response: “I repudiate him entirely and completely for now and all times … he is beyond human forgiveness”). I think if you are in a hate group, and have hate as one of your driving motivations, it’s easy to transfer that hate to anyone whom you perceive as being wrong, even (or maybe especially) former members of your community. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hitler-relative-converts-to-judaism/700222/11 "2014-10-03T20:56:21Z")
Belief in blood guilt is a nazi meme, not a Jewish one.