STRAUSSIAN
New member
- Jul 3, 2009
- 18
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Do you agree with ultraorthodox rabbis that you cannot "convert" to Judaism in...
...any real sense? I asked an ultraorthodox rabbi about this, and he said that "Jewishness" is a property first and foremost of matrilineal descent. As such, it is impossible for an outsider to truly "convert" to Judaism in any real sense, and that "conversions" accepted by other branches of Judaism (such as reform) are "symbolic" - eg, sort of like an honorary degree. Hence, converts cannot pass "Jewishness" to their children.
Is this a fair and correct assessment of the situation? It may not be a polite thing to note, but he has a point - a lot of Judaism is premised on genetic descent. This is why various Jewish groups still maintain common genetic characteristics.
"Ashkenazi" or "Mizrahi" or "Sephardic" aren't just words - they have actual genetic correlates in terms of haplogrouping and allele clusters.
The rabbi suggested that instead of trying to convert, non-Jews could instead form academic-style "Judaism societies."
Sort of like how white professors can teach "Afro-American studies" at universities without actually being black.
Is this a fair compromise?
...any real sense? I asked an ultraorthodox rabbi about this, and he said that "Jewishness" is a property first and foremost of matrilineal descent. As such, it is impossible for an outsider to truly "convert" to Judaism in any real sense, and that "conversions" accepted by other branches of Judaism (such as reform) are "symbolic" - eg, sort of like an honorary degree. Hence, converts cannot pass "Jewishness" to their children.
Is this a fair and correct assessment of the situation? It may not be a polite thing to note, but he has a point - a lot of Judaism is premised on genetic descent. This is why various Jewish groups still maintain common genetic characteristics.
"Ashkenazi" or "Mizrahi" or "Sephardic" aren't just words - they have actual genetic correlates in terms of haplogrouping and allele clusters.
The rabbi suggested that instead of trying to convert, non-Jews could instead form academic-style "Judaism societies."
Sort of like how white professors can teach "Afro-American studies" at universities without actually being black.
Is this a fair compromise?