Who is a Jew?

The Issue of conversion has existed since the formation of the State of Israel. In June of 1947, David Ben-Gurion, the chairman of the executive committee of the Jewish Agency, asked Agudat Israel to join a coalition that would constitute the first government of the state. Ben-Gurion offered some agreements about the role traditional Judaism would play in the society, primarily that, the Jewish Shabbat would be the official day of rest for all Jews, Kashrut (dietary laws) would be followed in all public institutions, religious schools and secular schools would remain separate but both receive funding, and the rabbinical courts applying halakah would decide matters of personal status. In 1950, the Law of Return allowed all Jews to immigrate and claim citizenship to Israel. However, in 1952, the idea of nationality arose and ID cards now said religion and nationality on them. A definition of being a Jew then became necessary. The halakic definition was given as “a Jew is born of a Jewish mother or who converts according to the halakah.” The idea of nationality is less of an issue in regards to the Law of Return but is relevant when discussing proper marriage partners and the legitimacy of the children. In 1960, the definition of a Jew was changed to “a person born of a Jewish mother who does not belong to another religion, or who has converted in accordance with religious law.” The issue of who is a Jew also arises when discussing specific communities who have deviated from traditional Judaism, such as those Jews in Ethiopia.
The fact that the definition of who constitutes a Jew has been changed over time shows that this is a much debated issue. I understand that for Orthodox Jews, nationality and religion go one in the same, especially when born in Israel. To me, this helps explain why most Orthodox are opposed to allowing non-Orthodox, especially those who converted, to become citizens of the state, and especially be married, divorced and buried. However, I also feel that as an American Reform Jew, if I were to go to Israel, I would still consider myself American and my religious status would be Jewish, but it would not be Orthodox. I still have more research to do to better understand the differences between Orthodox and non-Orthodox conversions. This research will help me better understand why I would not be considered Jewish to many in the state of Israel.


Source:

The Israel "Who is a Jew? Controversy." Electronic Document,

http://countrystudies.us/israel/46.htm, accessed March 22.