Dare to Ask: The basics for being Jewish

By PHILLIP MILANO, The Times-Union

Question

Is it true that to be recognized as a Jew your mother has to be a Jew? And how come I only see white-skinned women who are Jews? Can only white people be Jewish?

Kofi, Episcopalian male, N.Y.

Replies

You only see white-skinned women who are Jews because you aren't looking hard enough.

Sarah, 35, New York

If you were to visit Israel, you would find the Falasha, who are from Ethiopia and are black-skinned Africans. Also, there are many Jews who are Persian, Arabic and even Chinese, Indian and Japanese. What you see are those Jews who are derived from Eastern Europe, who, of course, are white-skinned.

Sasha A., 25, Los Angeles

According to Jewish tradition, if your mother is a Jew, that makes you a Jew. (They went with that definition because there was no definite way of knowing who the father was.) Regarding whether only white people can be Jews: no. If your mom is a Jew, you're a Jew no matter what your color. And people of all colors, nationalities, religions, etc. are permitted to convert to Judaism.

Laurie B., 55, Jewish, Boston

There are different Jewish sects, and at least some of them accept converts. Some black guys who have converted are Sammy Davis Jr. and Rod Carew.

Cal, 47, agnostic, Lakewood, Calif.

Expert says

We thought actor Adam Sandler would be great for this one, but were devastated to learn he got it wrong in The Chanukah Song with:

O.J. Simpson, not a Jew!

But guess who is . . . Hall of Famer Rod Carew - he converted!

Apparently, while the baseball star had 3,053 career hits, a .328 lifetime batting average and a Jewish wife and kids, he never actually converted. (Sammy Davis Jr. did, though.)

So, sadly, it was on to the less-funny but more-informed Orthodox Rabbi Benjamin Blech, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism and an assistant professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University in New York.

"Judaism is a religion, not a race, and it permits conversion to it, so anyone can become a Jew, no matter what color. I've had several students who were black, and one became a rabbi . . . the clincher is Moses, who was married to a woman who was black, Zipporah," he said.

But just so you know, conversion isn't a quick "git 'er done" type of thing. As Blech noted, there are books to be read, oral exams to be taken and, at the end of the process, bet din, where a Jewish court of three rabbis really grills you until it's satisfied you know the material, privileges and responsibilities of becoming Jewish.

On the other hand, if Mom's Jewish, you're automatically in, according to the Torah.

"It's a maternal link . . . the reasons might be that the mother is in the greatest position to influence the spirituality of the child - has the most power over what the child becomes," Blech said.

Phillip Milano, author of I Can't Believe You Asked That! (Perigee), moderates cross-cultural dialogue at Y? The National Forum on People's Differences. Visit www.yforum.com to submit questions and answers. Send general column comments to phillip. milano@jacksonville.com. You can also hear his podcasts or watch his TV spots.