My Jewish Problem, Cte'd: The Exclusivity Issue
Compare to Maya Gottfried's experience. Gottfried, who has 2 Jewish grandparents, is a contributor to the new book Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales From Interfaith Homes. She read from her essay "Untitled," Thursday night at Makor. She described going to a Passover seder at which a rabbi's wife kept saying to her, "You're not Jewish," even as Gottfried, who was on a spiritual path and trying to explore her Jewishness, explained that her father was Jewish. Up till then, Gottfried had felt that she had "the best of both worlds." She walked away feeling that she "was nothing." The experience of feeling rejected was an important step in Gottfried's ultimate decision to be baptized as a Christian.
And the answer is No! to those vicious readers who say, You hate your Jewish background, why don't you convert like Maya Gottfried. I love my Jewish background. I love my scientist father and artist mother, I love my thinking sensitive fairness-loving Jewish DNA. I have always loathed my tribe's air of sanctified exclusivity, as I loathed that air among WASPs. The air that sent Gottfried tumbling the other way. God bless the Forward, god bless Gottfried, god bless America.
"I love my thinking sensitive fairness-loving Jewish DNA."
-- really, Phil, this is just racism on your part. And don't try to wriggle out of it by claiming you were joking, because it's quite clear from the context that you weren't.
Judaism is based on matri-lineage. Reform Judaism accepts patri-lineage as long as the child is given a Jewish education and is raised Jewish.
Having "two Jewish grandparents" does not make you Jewish, nor can being raised in an "inter-faith" household - even by the most extreme liberal branches of Reform Judaism.
There is no such thing as being "half-Jewish". Being Jewish is a binary thing- you either are or you are not.
Because the Nazis used the "grandparent" test- the state of Israel will grant citizenship to anyone with a one Jewish grandparent. However, the Rabbinate will not consider them Jewish unless they have a Jewish mother and have not renounced Judaism.
Your analysis is ridiculous. Puppeting 'The Forwards' error, demonstrates further your lack of knowledge of basic Judaism.
Think before you speak.
"Because the Nazis used the "grandparent" test ..."
Can we really foist this one off on the Nazis again? Didn't Israel have a choice?
Because anyone with a single Jewish grandparent was persecuted as "a Jew" by the Nazis, Israel amended the Law of Return in 1950 to include anyone with even one Jewish grandparent.
Israel decided to be as inclusive as possible. Hundreds of thousands of non-Jews have become Israeli citizens under The Law of Return.
"Israel decided to be as inclusive as possible."
Hehe.
Let's be clear about this : 'being Jewish' is just a state of mind. Whether you are conventionally allowed to express this state of mind depends on various more or less bodged and fudged factors, halachic, legal, institutional, etc., but a state of mind is all it is, none the less. Compare thinking that you are really the child of extra-terrestrials : its epistemological status uis exactly the same.
At least at some level, all Jews of course know that, Rowan. The interesting question then is why do otherwise sensible people like Philip keep saying silly things like "my Jewish DNA".
Is it the lure of the transgressive? Or just old-fashioned hubris?