“New” to Judaism

Question

I recently discovered that my mother’s mother was Jewish. I wasn’t raised as a Jew. Am I considered a Jew? Should I just ignore this ancestry tidbit?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    You are 100% Jewish. It doesn’t matter if you were raised Jewish or not. Judaism goes according to matrilineal descent. And since you ask, this isn’t just an ancestry tidbit that you should ignore.

    I suggest three things:

    Try to make some connection with a local Orthodox community and Rabbi if possible. I think you will be happily surprised.

    Read basic Judaism books: Gateway to Judaism by Rabbi Mordechai Becher is excellent! And there are great online resources such as the archives of asktherabbi.org of Gateways Organization that you already found (and the main site gatewaysonline.org) and Ohr.edu – and others.

    Please feel free to write again with any questions you may have about Judaism.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team