A Jew or Not?

[woodelf]

My mother was a Jew, my father was not. I was put up for adoption at three months. My adopted parents were, supposedly, C of E. I was not circumsised. Am I a Jew or not? Ta Muchly.

[Maydup]

You are whatever you wish to be surely?

[HowardKennitby]

As I understand the views of the Jewish community they will regard you as Jewish.
How do you regard yourself?

[nungate]

Woodelf, you are what you are, or whatever you want to be.

[ladyalex]

I agree with HowardKennitby.
(and Maidup)

[ladyalex]

and Nungate

[mike11111]

I stand to be corrected, but as far as I know the test of Jewishness is whether one's mother was Jewish, not the father so if this is the case then you are Jewish.

[craft1948]

I agree with Mike.............

[chi-chi66]

You are Jewish..

[Wharton]

Award Maidup 'Best Answer'

[Buenchico]

As an atheist I would be greatly offended if anyone 'labelled' me based upon the religious beliefs (or cultural identity) of my parents.

Cassius Clay's parents were Christians, but he's now a Muslim. Tony Blair's parents were CofE, but he's now a Catholic. Richard Dawkins' parents were Anglicans, but he's now an atheist. Religion is about belief; if you don't believe in the tenets of a particular religion, then you don't belong within that religion.

[Prudie]

Surely that depends on whether you view being Jewish as a race or a religion?

[Buenchico]

A relevant link, Prudie:
http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm#Race

[lady-janine]

you are a Jew born.

[chi-chi66]

Of course you are what you want to be, but woodelf was born Jewish.

Both my parents were C of E, I was christened C of E, but I choose to be
atheist.

[Prudie]

I've just been loking it up myself Chris as I know little about it, my answer was to Wharton actually. If it's a race then you can't just be what you want to be.

[Old_Geezer]

We had that thread a short while ago Prudie.

[HowardKennitby]

// but woodelf was born Jewish.//

Only if you accept the views of the Jewish community.

[NOX]

As far as other Jews are concerned you are certainly a Jew- what religion you choose to practice given your situation is your own business.

[FredPuli43]

You are a Jew but not Jew-ish, as Jonathan Miller once described himself ( "Beyond the Fringe"). He once asked the Jewish Chronicle how far back in ancestry do you want to go , in defining a Jew. On the traditional basis he was a Jew and a chimpanzee!

You are not even an 'amphibious Jew' (Miller's description of his own father) , one who accepts some small part of Jewish culture and practices as and when, but does not lead his whole life as a Jew. If challenged, he will say that he is one, but does not otherwise think of himself as anything in particular.

In Judaism, you are a Jew, but not otherwise.

[puzzled54]

Traditionally, you take the religion of your mother, so if you want to be Jewish you can be, but would have to take some sort of conversion course if you want to practice.