Question: What does Reform Judaism say about matrilineal descent?
I am the daughter of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father. I want to become fully Jewish now. I have been studying and made a trip to Israel last summer. Yet, I find the importance of matrilineal descent very hard to accept/understand. While I think it makes sense that I not be considered Jewish because I was not fully educated and raised as such, it is hard for me to accept that others, even practicing Christians, who are the children of Jewish mothers are considered Jewish and I am not.
Answer: You are the daughter of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father who was not raised as a Jew. You have difficulty with the confusing standards of Jewish identity for people in your situation.
The position of Orthodox and Conservative Judaism is that Jewish identity can only be handed down through a Jewish mother. Because of this standard, these movements will consider a person with a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father to be a Jew even if he or she was raised in another religion. On the other hand, people with non-Jewish mothers are required to convert to Judaism before they will be recognized as Jews, even if they were raised as Jews.
Reform Judaism has adopted a different standard, often given the misleading name of "patrilineal descent." By this standard, a person with one Jewish parent -- regardless of the sex of that parent -- can be considered to be a Jew if he or she is raised with "appropriate and timely public and formal acts of identification with the Jewish faith and people." However, according to this standard, a person with a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father who is not raised as a Jew in this way will not be recognized as a Jew. Such a person would need to convert to Judaism if they wished to embrace Jewish identity as an adult.
In your situation, you would not be considered to be a Jew by either standard. However, you could convert to Judaism under either standard. I think its wonderful that you are now embracing Jewish identity and that you've had a meaningful experience visiting Israel. I hope that you will continue to pursue your desire to identify as a Jew.
I can understand your confusion, and even upset feelings, about some of the absurdities that result from the different standards for Jewish identity in different movements. My advice is that you decide what is important for yourself as you embrace Judaism with the guidance of a rabbi and Jewish community where you feel comfortable. Once you are secure in your choices, you won't need to worry too much about what other people think about "who is a Jew."
Sincerely,
Rabbi Goldwasser
