Bringing Up Baby Jewish Helping a gentile baby become _part of the Jewish community. holds true for a divorcee. Consult your rabbi for details.) Children who have undergone an t only takes a moment to fall in Orthodox conversion will be recog- love. nized as Jews everywhere, and enjoy When parents look at their new added benefits in Israel. For a baby to child, whether the baby was have an Orthodox conversion, however, born to them or adopted, they become the parents will be expected to be dizzy with joy and wonder. observant themselves. The care for this little miracle, Those seeking an Orthodox conver- though, does require plenty of practical sion for their gentile baby will meet on thinking — everything from diapers to a number of occasions with their rabbi, a college fund and, for some parents, specifically to discuss the child's the religious identity of the child. upbringing. The actual conversion cere- According to Halachah (Jewish law), mony itself is simple. In the case of a any child born to a Jewish mother is boy, he will have a brit, or circumcision Jel,vish. The baby may be the son of a (if the baby already has been circum- gentile father in the Ku Klux Klan who cised, a ceremonial drop of blood will grows up to be the tattoo-covered be taken by a mohel). Once completely leader of Hell's Angels who has never healed, the baby will go with his father observed a single mitzvah. He's still to be immersed in the mikvah. A Jewish, recognized as such by the major mother takes her baby daughter to the Jewish movements and the State of mikvah. Outside, the beit din (rabbini- Israel. cal court) will supervise the conversion. The Reform movement also regards The child is then raised with all the as Jewish those babies born to a Jewish responsibilities and rights of any other father (but a gentile mother) who are Jewish child, though when a boy is bar raised as Jews, who participate in mitzvah, or a girl bat mitzvah, he or Jewish life and who identify as Jews. she will have the right to continue his The decision to recognize Jews of patri- life as a Jew or not, explains Rabbi lineal descent was made in 1983 by the Yechiel Morris of Young Israel of Southfield. late Rabbi Alexander Schindler, then head of Reform Judaism's Union of The Conservative movement follows American Hebrew Congregations. much the same path. Parents meet with Yet no one in the Orthodox, the rabbi to consider the ways in which Conservative and Reform movements the child will be raised and to discuss recognize as Jewish an infant born to their own commitment to Judaism. two gentiles. What, then, are the In the case of a boy, the child will options for Jewish parents who have undergo a circumcision or a drop of adopted a gentile child, and who wish blood will be taken, says Rabbi David to raise him or her as a Jew? Nelson of Congregation Beth Shalom. There is no difference, under If the child is older and requires cir- Halachah, between a convert and one cumcision and the,procedure is done at who is born Jewish and, in fact, to a hospital, Rabbi Nelson will accompa- point out that someone is a convert is ny the parents into the operating room. against Jewish law. All are obligated to Both a gentile baby boy and girl, the same mitzvot, or commandments. held by a parent, will be submerged (A very few restrictions apply to con- three times in a mikvah, their conver- verts to Judaism. According to sion supervised by a beit din. Brachot (blessings) are said following Halachah they may not, for example, marry a Cohen — though the same the immersion. This is usually when parents, and especially grandparents ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM AppleTree Editor I "like to take a lot of pictures, which will be Congregation Beth Shalom embarrassing to the child later on," Rabbi ■ /3,3$ SO CERTIFICATE OF ACCEPTANCE DITO..133/*/$m Nelson said. eau Us -ea 4 Parents then receive ne a certificate to show Michigan there that their child has undergone a conver- righteous sion. Rabbi Daniel prescribed Syme of Temple le declared Beth El says that the of Reform movement bg opted to recognize patrilineal descent cod of for religious reasons — and for practical ones, as well. In the Torah, he says, "the child followed the S.roarD AND gratan B SS ZS mrs lineage of the father" until a dis- pute, stemming from the behavior of Jewish males after the destruc- A conversion tion of the First certificate from Congregation Beth Shalom. Temple. born Rabbi Schindler was further dis- turbed that the law for determining to two gentile parents, or if they wish a conversion for their own reasons even if who is a Jew didn't take into considera- the child's father is Jewish, Rabbi Syme tion any mitigating factors. "[Former Soviet leader Nikita] does encourage families to take the children to the mikvah (a mikvah used Khrushchev had a son who married a by the Reform community is at Temple Jewish woman and they had a child, Israel), especially if they are considering which means that his grandson is aliyah, immigration to Israel. Jewish even though they probably Reform parents seeking a conversion never did anything Jewish in their for a child should expect to meet with lives," Rabbi Syme says. Former Israeli their rabbi before any ceremonies are Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, on performed. Rabbi Syme says he will the other hand, had a son who married a gentile; their son was raised a Jew and speak with the parents to discuss their served in the Israeli army, yet according own interest in and involvement in to Halachah he was not Jewish. Judaism, and to make certain that their child will be raised in a Jewish home. Rabbi Schindler, says Rabbi Syme, He also recommends that parents "realized, 'Something is wrong here."' consider circumcision for their new Consequently, members of the son, noting that the Reform movement Reform movement do not ask parents has both male and female mohelim (cir- to seek a conversion for children born cumcisers), as well as physicians who of a Jewish father. can perform a brit. II At the same time, if the infant is ne Ica.wror FU ■ BM OMSD A. NELSON vet, watt wor ....aser,v_, OM PAM( JX:303AN