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Marriage and its obstacles in Jewish law : essays and responsa / edited by Walter Jacob and Moshe Zemer
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WALTER JACOB

not be interested in reclaiming his Jewish identity. From a traditional Jewish point of view, he would not be considered Jewish as the link was broken in the second generation in which the father was Jewish and the mother, non-Jewish . Had this not been the case, traditional Judaism might consider him as a Jew in accordance with the view of Solomon ben Simon of Duran(Rashbash, Responsa#89). He was concerned with the offsprings of Marranos and considered them Jewish indefinitely, if the female Jewish lineage remained unbroken. Most authorities would insist on some form of haverut to mark a formal re-entry into the Jewish community(Shulhan Arukh Yoreh Deah 268.10 f Ezekiel Landau , Noda Biyehudah,#150, etc.).

We. however, feel that there must be a strong educational component which will create a positive identity, and so would demand more regardless of matrilineal or patrilineal descent.

As this young man and his forefathers had no Jewish education or contact, we should treat him as a convert to Judaism and welcome him

to Judaism . In the process of conversion and the final ceremony, we should stress his links to a Jewish past which he now wishes to establish firmly for himself and for future generations.

Walter Jacob , Contemporary Reform Responsa, New York , 1987,# 59.