Who is Considered Jewish?

Jewish Conversion and the Jew's Identity in the Modern Context

Jun 4, 2009
Johanus Haidner

There is sometimes some confusion as to who is considered to be Jewish, as there is some debate amongst the different sects.

Surprisingly, not all Jewish leaders agree as to who is considered Jewish. There are some historical and biblical reasons for this disparity of views, and they might surprise many.

The Orthodox View of Who is Jewish

In Jewish orthodoxy there are very strict criteria of who is considered Jewish. Surprisingly, these are not what is written in the bible. But there are good historical reasons for this. Anyone who is born to a woman who is recognized by the Orthodox criteria as being Jewish is Jewish. That is simple.

Those who convert to Judaism must have a full, proper conversion done. This means that there must be a bet din who approves the conversion, and the proper studies must have been completed prior to the meeting with the bet din (a panel of three orthodox rabbis), and that the proper conversion ceremonies must be observed.

The studies include Jewish history and culture, a basic understanding of Judaism as a religion, including some Torah study, and some basic Hebrew. These all, of course, help to understand the religion and that way the person who is considering conversion fully understand the requisite commitment.

If all of these studies are done, the bet din accepts the convert, and the proper ceremonies, including the immersion in the mikvah, are followed and performed, then the convert is considered to be Jewish. Orthodox rabbis often do not recognize conversions performed by the other two movements.

The Conservative View of Who is Jewish

In the Conservative movement the criteria are pretty much the same as for the Orthodox. The largest difference is that the conservative movement will now recognize female rabbis and allow them to perform conversions, whereas the Orthodox will not.

There are some Orthodox rabbis who are recognizing Conservative conversions, as long as the proper rules are followed. But this is not yet universal. They do not seem to recognize Reform conversion, even if the rules are followed. Why this is has not been fully explained.

Anyone who is born to a Jewish woman is recognized as being Jewish by the Conservative movement.

The Reform View of Who is Jewish

In the Reform movement, some rabbis will recognize anyone who is raised with the Jewish religion and values as being Jewish, regardless of whether it is the mother or father (or both) who is Jewish. This is the largest difference between the groups. In the Reform movement, the same protocols are to be followed in conversion (bet din, studies, ceremony, mikvah, and so on) as with the other movements.

However, the Reform movement also recognizes female rabbis and allows them to perform conversions. These conversions are not always recognized by the other two movements. Reform Jews consider anyone converted by any of the three movements to be Jewish.

The Reasons Behind the Differences

Historically, before the Roman conquest of Israel, all Jews were recognised as Jewish if the father was Jewish. This was because the father in a household was responsible for the religious upbringing of the children, therefore they would be following his religion.

In the Roman era there were many rapes of Jewish women and children were often born out of wedlock and without a father. Therefore the religious leaders at the time decided that since it's always known who the mother is, that Judaism would pass down through the mother from then on. The Reform movement recognizes the religious responsibilities of the father and the household and therefore also recognises the intent in the ancient ways and allows those to be followed, rather than having to convert a baby or infant.

In the early days of the Reform movement there were instances when the full conversion requirements were not always followed. Sometimes it was difficult to find a bet din, for example. And they were the first to allow female rabbis. This is why the other two movements don’t always recognise a Reform conversion. There are similar reasons behind why an Orthodox rabbi may not recognise a Conservative conversion. Simple, straight-forward, yet fraught with controversy.

If one is really confused when it comes to who is considered Jewish, the best thing to do is to talk to a rabbi. Know one’s family history. And if interested in converting carefully consider your choice and the consequences of becoming Reform, Conservative or Orthodox.