r/JewsOfConscience • u/AutoModerator • Sep 04 '24

AAJ "Ask A Jew" Wednesday

It's everyone's favorite day of the week, "Ask A (Anti-Zionist) Jew" Wednesday! Ask whatever you want to know, within the sub rules, notably that this is not a debate sub and do not import drama from other subreddits. That aside, have fun! We love to dialogue with our non-Jewish siblings.

Please remember to pick an appropriate user-flair in order to participate! Thanks!

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u/AlexandreAnne2000 Non-Jewish Ally Sep 04 '24

Okay this is a little random but I read a book recently about a patrilineal Jewish American man born in the 1910s in the US. I've always assumed his father wouldn't have raised him as Jewish since his mother was Christian and Reform and Reconstructionism weren't around  when he was born but is this necessarily true? The book was super vague about his Jewishness, and his views on religion on general, but he kinda was too and there's nothing on the internet. 

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u/specialistsets Non-denominational Sep 04 '24

Reform was around then but they did not officially accept patrilineal descent until the 1980s. Early 20th century America was a time of intense assimilation for Jews, and even more so for patrilineal Jews. Someone like this would likely have some elements of Jewish identity and culture, but it is highly unlikely they were part of a religious community.

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u/AlexandreAnne2000 Non-Jewish Ally Sep 04 '24

Thanks for answering, that's what I assumed.