My great grandmother was a jew. Under Jewish law this makes my grandfather (her son) a Jew as well. Under Reform Judaism, are my father and myself considered jewish (patrilineal descent) despite not being raised as Jews?

Dear Marlene,

Thank you so much for your enquiry 'Am I a Jew?'

We would be delighted to assist and you would be most welcome to come along and meet us at one of our synagogues, though you haven't mentioned where you are currently based.  We would love to assist you to recover your Jewish connections and discover a Jewish identity. 

You have rightly pointed out that there are differences in approach between orthodox and progressive (Reform is a part of the progressive umbrella of the World Union for Progressive Judaism of which we are a part).

The orthodox count a person as Jewish if they are born to a Jewish mother.  By this logic, your grandfather was indeed a Jew. However, neither you nor your father have Jewish mothers nor were raised as Jews, and consequently would not be considered Jews.

The progressive approach is a more egalitarian one, drawing not only on natural justice but also on the fact that for the first half of the Jewish story (Biblical Judaism), the line went through the fathers (Abraham Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Menasseh etc, whilst in the second half (Rabbinic Judaism) it has gone through the mother (who, despite whatever may have happened in the previous 9 months, is always present at the birth!).

Therefore we say the line passes through either mother OR father - provided that the child is raised as a Jew and has 'timely acts of Jewish observance', which would include religious education, bar/bat mitzvah, celebrating shabbat, regular attendance at festivals such as New Year, Passover Seder, Chanukah lighting. (However, if both parents are Jewish, then you are Jewish even without the upbringing and timely acts, since 'what else could you be?')

So sadly, by our definition, since your grandfather was not raised as a Jew by your great grandmother, he would not be counted, though unless he was actively raised as something else, we would look for indications that would allow us to be lenient and accepting.

However, even if we accepted your great grandfather (and if the orthodox would, it would seem harsh and overly rigid for us not so do so), your father would not be considered Jewish since, as you say, he was not raised as a Jew, and for you yourself, the same conclusion would apply.  Sadly, you neither had a Jewish parent or a Jewish upbringing.

Having said all that, I reiterate that we would be happy to assist - we run regular Introduction to Judaism courses which you can access on line at your own speed, and we believe strongly that if you are looking for a meaningful, spiritual framework for your life, this is what our approach to Judaism offers, with a strong emphasis on community, justice and 'healing the world' to enable you to rejoin the community and formalise your Jewish status within the progressive Jewish world (though sadly it would not be recognised by the orthodox, over which we have no control!).         

I do hope this is helpful.  Please contact me if you'd like to know how to proceed.

L'shalom

Rabbi Jonathan

My husband is an Israeli, my father was Jewish and I want to convert

Hi Rabbi,

I'm just touching base to enquire about the process of conversion for an Australian female non-jew.  

I have had a long standing interest in the Jewish faith (my father was Jewish) and since I have married my Israeli husband 3 years ago- I have been following the practices, traditions and holidays- I also east kosher.  

I have always believed in G_d and am really wanting to take on the commitment of a conversion and further my relationship and life with G_d.  I currently live a Jewish lifestyle and believe strongly in everything that lifestyle stands for. I have visited the Holy Land and the holy city Jerusalem.  

This is not a decision I take lightly, I have been wanting to do this for years and I feel that I must make this commitment for myself, for my faith, for my family and for my community.

If you have any advice on how I can take this next step, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts.

Much appreciated,

Caroline

Rabbi Jonathan responded:

Dear Caroline

Thank you so much for your email.

You have not indicated where you live so I am unclear if you are in our area.  If you are, the best thing would be for you (and ideally your husband) to come and talk things through with me and I could take the opportunity to introduce you to the community centre we have here.

If you are not local, I can put you in touch with a more convenient colleague and community.  We have four congregations across Melbourne, as well as a school (the King David School, http://www.kds.vic.edu.au/), a Netzer (youth) group and various other associated organisations (Progressive Judaism Victoria, pjv.org.au).  Similarly we have communities in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Surfers Paradise, Central Coast and Brisbane as well as in New Zealand and Asia (upj.org.au).  We are a part of the largest congregational movement in the world, the World Union for Progressive Judaism (wupj.org) with over 1,200 congregations, representing more than 1.8 million members in 45 countries on six continents.

One of our most dynamic Progressive Jewish communities is in Israel.  You mention that your husband is Israeli, and we find that often Israelis outside of Israel (as well as inside) find it difficult to relate to traditional synagogue communities, but, when they discover Progressive Judaism with our ‘Centres for Judaism’, embracing education and culture and peoplehood as well as prayer in a meaningful and accessible way, they find it easier to become involved.

To address some points in your letter directly – you define yourself as a ‘non-Jew’ and you may be right – but you may not be!  Many people are not aware that in the spirit of equality that is one of the key planks of Progressive Judaism, we recognise someone as Jewish if they only have a Jewish father, just as if they only have a Jewish mother – if they have been brought up as a Jew.  We’d need to discuss this further.  It is possible, depending on your situation, that we could do some ‘top-up learning’ and present you to a Bet Din (Jewish Court) for a ‘confirmation of Jewish Status’, rather than Conversion.  Since, however, you define yourself as a ‘non-Jew’ then this is probably not the case for you.

We would be interested to know how you have been observing the ‘practices, traditions and holidays’ – has this included being part of a community, for example?  And how much have you learnt and understood about those aspects of Judaism so far?  When you say you eat kosher, there is an interesting conversation to be had about what that means to you, both in practical terms and in spiritual ones.

You say you have always believed in God, except you say G_d and I am unsure if you are simply being cautious in writing to a Rabbi, but I have no problem writing God – our tradition is cautious about ‘taking God’s name in vain’ but enquiring about Judaism and converting and belief is certainly not that!  I’d be pleased if people spent a bit more time talking about (and writing about) God in today’s world!  There are certain precautions about writing God’s name IN HEBREW – but ‘God’ is neither God’s name (which we don’t know how to pronounce anyway – it is made up of the four Hebrew letters YHVH, but when we see it, we say ‘Adonai’ instead), and nor is it in Hebrew (El or Elohim is Hebrew for God).  A belief in the universal creator and power of the Universe is important (though question and doubt is also part of the process).  More important is our understanding that humans are God’s ‘tools’ or ‘hands’ in healing the sick, feeding the hungry, welcoming the refugees, looking after God’s world – that we work in partnership (shutafut) with God to make the world better (Tikkun Olam).

You slightly puzzle me by talking about ‘The Holy Land’, having said your husband is Israeli.  Is this some sort of suggestion that you don’t accept the modern State of Israel (that is your choice – but most Jews today are very much in support of its right to exist in safety and security – and generally of the right of Palestinians to a safe and secure land alongside it).  The State of Israel, despite the challenges it has faced since the day it was established, has achieved remarkable things – and when peace finally comes, it will achieve many more in conjunction with its neighbours.

You did not mention whether or not you yet have children, though you talk of doing this not only for yourself but for your family.  Judaism is very much a family-oriented tradition, and it is very hard to do alone.  The synagogue community is like the ‘extended family’.  All in all, we have, in Progressive Judaism, a wonderful framework for spiritual life today – in what The King David School describes as ‘Modern, Thinking Judaism.

So I suggest that, if what I have written makes sense to you, you contact me again to either meet or for me to put you in touch with a colleague convenient to you.

L’shalom

Rabbi Jonathan

From: rabbi@lbc.org.au [mailto:rabbi@lbc.org.au]

I live miles away from any Jewish Community - can I still join your course, and could I become Jewish?

(Details changed to protect the writer's identity)

Hello Rabbi, 

I am interested in the Judaism online course you offer. I am not Jewish but have had a deep interest in Judaism for many years. I have often thought of learning more for the purpose of conversion, and that is why I am interested in your course now. I would like to learn more about Judaism and see where I am led after this learning.  I realise it is a journey of faith.

Unfortunately, where I live, country QLD, there are no synagogues close by where I could immerse myself into the synagogue and community. So, I do not know where this would leave me following my education. 

Could it be possible to study your introduction course and use that in conjunction with meeting a Rabbi from another area on occasions. The closest synagogue is about 6 hours from where I live. Have potential converts done anything like this before?

Thank you so much for your time, 

Sim


Rabbi Jonathan responded:

Dear Sim,

Thanks so much for your interest.  I am the supervising Rabbi for the On-line Introduction to Judaism course, and I also have a congregation in Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs.  Please look at the two introductory sessions at http://pjv.org.au/education/introduction-judaism-course-online-course#overlay-context=education/introduction-judaism-course-online-course, and if you find them helpful, you will be very welcome to undertake the course which will give you a deeper and more comprehensive of Judaism and especially as we view it through a Progressive lens.  If you do undertake the course, I will keep an eye on your progress and be available for questions, and your tutor may well be my wife Sue, who is the lead tutor.

In terms of Conversion, completion of the Introduction to Judaism course is a major plank  - but there are also important other aspects, some of which, as you rightly point out, will be very difficult for you in your location.

It is very hard to live a Jewish life alone - there are many aspects which are usually family or community celebrations or commemorations.  Yes, you would be trailblazing - but you won't be the first, and as Herzl said, talking about the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland; 'Im Tirtzu, eyn zo agadah - if you really will it, it need be no dream'!

Other aspects required are: Relationship with a Rabbi (you are now commencing that with me!), and with a community... perhaps, over the years, we will be able to develop a 'virtual community' in some ways, but as yet it does not really exist - one thing we are trying to do is to organise an annual weekend for people to gather, study, meet and celebrate together - and of course we also have various congregations such as Central Coast, Gold Coast, Sydney and Brisbane, where we would arrange a welcome if you were able to visit.  We also require an ability to read Hebrew (we have a self-study course for this purpose) and of course circumcision - the 'sign of the covenant with God'.  It is not an easy job to become Jewish - even if you are near a community.  It takes at least a year - simply because we want you to learn about the upcoming festivals as they approach, and ideally, to experience them.  For most people, it takes longer, often two years or more.

But Judaism is a wonderful tradition, with a wealth of experience and guidance for every part of life, and worth the study and exploration.  If you are looking to find out more, you have come to the right place.  God is in this place!

In terms of the cost of the units, there are 7 (a mystical number in Judaism) and they currently cost $140 each - you pay as you work through them, so if it takes you longer, the cost is more spread out!

I hope that is useful.  I would also refer you to http://upj.org.au/ which is the website for the Union for Progressive Judaism in Australia and New Zealand, with lots of other useful information. 

L'shalom

Rabbi Jonathan