[Avodah] Status of Non-Jew born to Jewish Father

[Allen Gerstl]

On Wed, 2 Nov 2011 18:25:35 +0200
R' Daniel Bukingolts <bukin86 at gmail.com>
Wrote: Re: Status of Non-Jew born to Jewish Father

"My father and non Jewish step mom just had a baby girl on Friday....What is the status of
non-Jewish children born with Jewish fathers? Is there a different or
easier geirus for them if they decide to convert?...My father had a bris for my non Jewish half brother(details unknown, but I believe done by chabad rabbi). Would he require
chatafas dam if he decides to be Jewish?   ..."My Comments:I have a good friend who is a mohel.  His practice in such circumstances when the parents indicate that they wish to have the child later converted to Judaism and raise the child in accordance with halacha (and I assume that usually in such cases the mother expresses an interest in herself converting in accordance with halacha) has been to perform the mila in front of two Jews who together with himself are constituted as a beit din so that the mila is for the purpose of future conversion. He then writes out a teudat mila (a certificate of conversion) in which he refers to the fact that the child is not Jewish but that the mila was done for the purpose of future conversion. He explains the facts to the parents beforehand,and emphasizes that tevilah with conversion before a proper beit din is required. All of the latter must be done pleasantly and diplomatically with sensitivity to the parents feelings.The first volume of the Yesodei Yeshurun by Rav Gedalia Felder, z"l deals with questions of conversion of babies and children when they are not bar/bat mitzvah age and who therefore have the right to decide at bar/bat mitzvah age as to whether they wish to be Jewish which can sometimes be ascertained from their behaviour at that age in keeping mitzvot. (Of course a qualified Orthodox rabbi would have to rule on each individual case as there are many very important nuances both of fact and of halacha in each case.)KT
Eliyahu


 		 	   		  
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