[Avodah] Jew Or Not?

[Zev Sero]

David J Havin wrote:
> Assuming that all this can be substantiated, is she entitled to be
> considered a Jew by a Beth Din without further ado?

It seems poshut that she is.  Why would there be a hava amina
otherwise?


T613K at aol.com wrote:
> I think most rabbanim would say that she needs a gerus misafek if, at 
> the time of her birth, her mother was a Christian (even if the mother 
> was halachically Jewish by matrilineal descent). 

What safek?  


Micha Berger wrote:
> Even without any safeiq in her yichus, we would require miqvah and
> qabbalas divrei chaveirus in front of a BD. Reaffirming a return
> to the Jewish faith, even if already born into the Jewish people.
> This is a difference between C & R on one hand, and shmad on the other.
> Someone who leaves Yahadus for a movement that self-identifies as Jewish
> can be accepted as a BT without qabbalas divrei chaveirus.

Where do you get all this?  There is a minhag that a returning mumar
goes to mikveh and re-accepts divrei chaveirus, but:

1. Who told you that it applies also to the meshumad's descendants?
If the makor is from a medieval takanah to discourage shmad, then it
applies only to the meshumad himself, not to his descendants.  And in
this case, who says there was ever a meshumad?

2. Who told you that it doesn't apply to returnees from R/C?   If the
makor is not from a medieval takanah but, as the GRA suggests, from
Avos d'R Natan and Tosfos in Bechoros, then the tevilah applies to
anyone who has eaten treif, and kabolas divrei chaverus is for
any baal teshuvah who wishes to become a chaver.

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher