2 min read
The decision by the British Reform movement's rabbis to recognise the children of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother as Jewish without conversion is a radical, but not revolutionary, one .
The movement is not the first to have adopted the principle of what is now being called "equilineal descent".
While the Reform move marks a clear departure from traditional halachah - where Jewish status derives from the mother - it brings it into line with other Progressive groups such as Liberal Judaism in Britain, which began to recognise patrilineal Jews as far back as the mid-1950s, and American Reform.
Publicly, Liberal Judaism has welcomed its sister movement's new policy, though behind the scenes some of its rabbis are miffed that the trailblazing Liberals have not been given their due for introducing it first.
Jewish status, however, has not automatically been accepted by the Liberals simply on the basis that someone has a Jewish parent. A person needs to show evidence of some Jewish upbringing and if they do not have it, regardless of whether it is their father or mother who is Jewish, they may be required to do a course of education first.
Some Liberal rabbis are miffed that they have not been given their due for introducing it first
BLOG: Conversion reforms reach to the heart of Jewish identity
Up till now, Reform practice here has been to accept the matrilineal definition of Jewish identity. If a non-Jewish woman converted, her child would be Jewish. Alternatively, the child of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother could be enrolled in a Reform cheder; when the child was old enough, they could be converted through the Reform Beth Din, as long as their mother had done a course of Jewish study even if she did not convert herself.
Additionally, Reform had previously recognised the Jewish status of members of other Progressive movements. So if the child of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother had grown up in a Liberal synagogue and wanted to join a Reform community, there would have been no problem.
Under the new procedures, a person of a single Jewish parent (mother or father) will meet their local Reform rabbi who will assess their level of Jewish knowledge and experience. If the rabbi is convinced of their Jewish credentials, they will be issued with a certificate confirming their Jewish status by the Reform Beth Din.
Alternatively, the rabbi may ask them to undertake a course of Jewish learning or agree to some other commitment, short of conversion, before Jewish status is confirmed.
There is little between this and Liberal practice bar a piece of paper, because the Liberals do not require formal certification. But whereas previously the determination of Jewish status rested in the hands of the Reform Beth Din, local congregational rabbis will in future assume greater responsibility in the confirmation process.
And it is precisely this that troubles the small minority of Reform rabbis opposed to the new status policy, such as Hendon's Steven Katz. He fears it will lead to people "shopping around" for rabbis who offer the easiest path to acceptance. Not requiring people to undergo conversion will lead to less knowledge and "accelerate the dumbing down of Judaism", he says.
It goes without saying that the Reform change widens the gap between it and Orthodoxy. But perhaps the most notable thing is that there has not been a peep out of the Office of the Chief Rabbi. You couldn't imagine the late Lord Jakobovits - who regarded common standards of Jewish identity as essential to Jewish unity - remaining quiet on such an issue.
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