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Judaism: Born Is Bred!

Schema yisreal hashem echad — Hear o Israel the Lord is God the Lord is one. Such says the central precept of the Jewish Faith.

I am sure that those reading this article can relate to this, whatever way is your chosen path, however there is another part to this quote — who exactly are these Israel people we are on about?

Unfortunately there are no simple answers to this, an ongoing controversy which has been going on for millennia and looks set to continue way into the next one. This said, the take on this is my slant on it, so please feel free to disagree. I was asked recently whether I was Jewish by birth or by faith, which I have to admit somewhat confused me at first. In Judaism one means the other, according to halacha (Jewish law) you are considered a Jew if your mother is Jewish , thereby passing through the maternal line. Simple enough? Well not really. This has caused many problems in the modern world, particularly in view of the developments in Russia and the lifting of the block on Eastern Europe in the late 80’s, which meant that an increasing number of people who were unable to practice their religion openly before started to re-evaluate their religious identity. This mixed with the Israeli policy of the law of return, and Operation Solomon whereby 40 747 jets flew to war-struck Africa to quite literally pick up the Jewish community and resettle them in Israel, has led to many new questions being asked of ourselves as to who is a Jew.

I suppose a big part of this is the emphasis that Judaism places on the maternal line of descent and the idea of family, not only as a nuclear concept but also as a connection which links people not only around the UK but world- wide.

So, this being the case, why should it be that it is so difficult to sign up? Active conversion is prohibited in Judaism and even when someone comes to us we try our hardest to dissuade them. Conversion to Judaism is not easy and usually takes up to about 3 years to complete, for two main reasons. Firstly, Judaism is not only a thought process or moral code, it is part of everyday life and is an integral aspect of how you think, the things you eat and how you organise not only your day but your week and year too. This means that for someone to convert to Judaism they take on the beliefs and history, the laws and everyday practices. This is not something that can be learned quickly or as you go along but takes time, effort and energy. This means that the person converting has got to be 110% sure in their mind that this is what they really want and they are doing it for the right reasons.

Secondly, Jews do not believe that you have to be Jewish to be special in this world or the next. But, I hear you ask, what about the whole ‘ chosen people’ thing? Well let me debunk a myth for you, this is not all it is cracked up to be and Jews do not believe in the concept of hierarchy of religion. Jews like all other groups have their fair share of nationalistic nutters but the reality is very different. In the words of Tevah from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, looking up to the sky in search of inspiration, “I know we are your chosen people, but couldn’t you choose someone else for a change?!” Jews believe that there is a purpose to be fulfilled by the existence of Judaism; we are not always entirely sure what this is but what it is not is a ‘head start’ to salvation.

On the flip side of all this, once the conversion has taken place, the person and their descendants are considered to be as if they were born to Judaism. There are very few things that are considered to be verging on the unforgivable in Jewish law but reminding a convert of their conversion is one of them. This can be seen in the instance where one of the most revered figures of Jewish history was a convert: Ruth, a Moabite who was to become , according to many commentators in Jewish history, the ultimate matrilineal grandmother of King David.

This leads us back to not only our original question but to the wider one of not only who is a Jew but what is Judaism? Things that I am not even going to attempt to tackle here! (Though if you want to get into it just give me a call). I will however leave you with a quote from Martin Luther King, “I have seen the promised land, I may not get there with you but one day we as a people will get there.”

B’ shalom

Ruth Thei

Last modified: 25th November 2005