# I just found out I'm Jewish, what should I do? (I need advice from other Jews!)



## Solomon's Tomb

So, I just did a little bit of research into my family tree and it turns out that my Grandmother was born Jewish (like, everyone in her family before her was Jewish) and later they converted to Catholicism, but that by blood, her daughter (my mother) is Jewish and that makes me Jewish by default-- not necessarily the faith but the bloodline. 

I feel kind of confused and disoriented. I mean, I never fit into Catholicism, and I've always been interested in the Kabbalah, so, should I embrace this new-found discovery? Like I said, I've always been interested in Judaism and the amazing culture behind it, but I don't know what to do. My father is a Baptist and my mother is an excommunicated Catholic Jew. 

So, if there are any Jews out there who might have some advice for me, like, spiritual advice or something, please, don't hesitate to tell me a little bit about Judaism and what it takes to convert/be a part of the community, as I'm all-ears right now and I want to learn, but at the same time, one can understand why I'm a bit leery...


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## asw12345

have a bar mitzvah


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## Solomon's Tomb

asw12345 said:


> have a bar mitzvah


Yeah, I thought they did that when you turned thirteen. I haven't had a thirteenth birthday in almost twelve years... ironically, I _am_ circumcised, so thankfully _that's_ taken care of. But like, should I visit a Synagogue?



Howlett said:


> Horde your money in a savings account and don't spend a dime on anyone but yourself.


Well, I do that already, since before this information came to light, so...


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## asw12345

Solomon's Tomb said:


> Yeah, I thought they did that when you turned thirteen. I haven't had a thirteenth birthday in almost twelve years... ironically, I _am_ circumcised, so thankfully _that's_ taken care of. But like, should I visit a Synagogue?


i don't know im not Jewish. i saw that you wanted help from other Jews after i posted


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## Baiken

Why would you want to be a part of an organized religion?


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## Solomon's Tomb

Baiken said:


> Why would you want to be a part of an organized religion?


I'm bored and I happen to have Jewish blood coursing through my veins that I didn't know about until now?


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## Baiken

Solomon's Tomb said:


> I'm bored and I happen to have Jewish blood coursing through my veins that I didn't know about until now?


Having Jewish blood makes no difference.

The pretense that is having "Jewish blood" is quite silly to begin with though.


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## Solomon's Tomb

Baiken said:


> Having Jewish blood makes no difference.
> 
> The pretense that is having "Jewish blood" is quite silly to begin with though.


Yeah, I'm not really asking you. There's a sign on the front of the forum that says "NOT for debate," and you seem to be trying to bait me into an argument and so, I'm just going to ignore you.


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## harrison

Aren't you the guy that recently was thinking of cutting his penis off? Now you're thinking of converting to Judaism? 

Now I've been bored in my time but you take the cake! :clap


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## Solomon's Tomb

don36 said:


> Aren't you the guy that recently was thinking of cutting his penis off? Now you're thinking of converting to Judaism?
> 
> Now I've been bored in my time but you take the cake! :clap


Yeah, well. I get _really_ bored.


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## coeur_brise

Go to the nearest temple, talk to a rabbi. I'm not jewish though.


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## tk123

don36 said:


> Aren't you the guy that recently was thinking of cutting his penis off? Now you're thinking of converting to Judaism?
> 
> Now I've been bored in my time but you take the cake! :clap


Muhahahahahhaha oh man, this is the funnies thread I've read here so far.


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## Dark Alchemist

Solomon's Tomb said:


> I'm bored and I happen to have Jewish blood coursing through my veins that I didn't know about until now?


So do I, but I don't really do anything about it.


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## matt20

I'm Jewish by blood, but "dropped out" of Hebrew school before I was ever bar-mitzvah'd. The whole modern-culture that went with the religion was just too much (eg. a bunch of rich, spoiled snobs-a generalization, but how it was, where I was). I never found any part of religion to be interesting, and really pretty creepy. Nor do I agree with the whole Israel/Palestine mess, but that is for another debate. Probably not the advice you were looking for.


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## Andre

Why does Judaism appeal to you?


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## MachineSupremacist

Everybody's everything. If you go back to the late Middle Ages then I'm slightly Jewish too, and I confess I have a weakness for silly hats and challah bread.


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## erasercrumbs

I'm sure there's a lot of resources available online, but the best place for a crash course in Judaism is probably from an actual practicing Jew. Though I'm not Jewish, I've considered incorporating Jewish customs into my religious behavior myself, particularly the observance of Passover.


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## cloister2

It's easier to convert at a reform synagogue.


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## Solomon's Tomb

Dark Alchemist said:


> So do I, but I don't really do anything about it.


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## TJenkins602

Solomon's Tomb said:


> So, I just did a little bit of research into my family tree and it turns out that my Grandmother was born Jewish (like, everyone in her family before her was Jewish) and later they converted to Catholicism, but that by blood, her daughter (my mother) is Jewish and that makes me Jewish by default-- not necessarily the faith but the bloodline.
> 
> I feel kind of confused and disoriented. I mean, I never fit into Catholicism, and I've always been interested in the Kabbalah, so, should I embrace this new-found discovery? Like I said, I've always been interested in Judaism and the amazing culture behind it, but I don't know what to do. My father is a Baptist and my mother is an excommunicated Catholic Jew.
> 
> So, if there are any Jews out there who might have some advice for me, like, spiritual advice or something, please, don't hesitate to tell me a little bit about Judaism and what it takes to convert/be a part of the community, as I'm all-ears right now and I want to learn, but at the same time, one can understand why I'm a bit leery...


I can relate. My mother told me a few years back that she has Jewish (Levite) ancestry, therefore I share that Jewish ancestry. I don't know if my Father has Jewish ancestry, but he does say oy' vey a lot which I found out is also a Jewish expression.

I could actually be a Jew from both sides, LOL!!!

I actually feel honored to have a Jewish background.


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## DESTINYLOVE1900

i think you should go to a jewish temple nd try it out but it takes a long time to convert 1year plus jewish is a serious yet beautiful religion .


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## Solomon's Tomb

Well, the nearest Reform Temple is about ten _miles_ from me.

But, the nearest Unitarian Universalism Church is ten _blocks_ from me...

They're basically the same thing though, right?


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## Royals

Get a Tanakh first. Study the culture, the religion. And see how Judaism relates to Christianity. Really interesting!


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## Solomon's Tomb

Hadron said:


> You don't have to do anything.


But, I kind of want to.


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## trianglefro

Hadron said:


> You don't have to do anything.


i.e. you don't have to do anything to be a Jew. If your mom's mom is a Jew than so are you.

You could take a conversion track to learn about the implications, but you do not need to convert, and in fact it's impossible for you to choose not be a Jew...

Not Jewish blood, but definitely Jewish mitochondria.


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## Anticipate

Hi, I'm a practicing Jew. I thought the idea to go to a synagogue and speak to a rabbi were great ideas. Have you tried out the closest synagogue? You can also look into taking a course for beginner's Judaism/intro to Judaism. There's also tons of books if you want to read up on it.


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## DeeperUnderstanding

You don't have to "do anything." You just are.


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## mordechai

*Welcome to the club*

I've been doing some research for my family to explain to them what it means to be a Jew - besides eating matza and gifelte fish on the 1st day of passover... Here's summary of the Jewish people... http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/reformconservativeorthodox/

I would say to find out what a Jew means to you.


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## WineKitty

Having "Jewish" blood is a somewhat misleading thing to say. Because there is no common ancestry. Jews come from all over the world so it is not really a race but rather a religion.

That said, if you are intrigued by Judaism, by all means explore it. My parents were both atheists. My grandmother was Catholic. We all choose the path we walk. 

I personally am Christian but I don't match up with organized religion all that well.


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## handsupmidnight




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## Windwalker

*Be yourself*

Be yourself. 
Being of Jewish descent doesn't mean you will magically start observing the Sabbath. I found out recently my mother was a Mexican Jews descended from Spanish Jews who went there fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. I am a born again believer and would have it no other way. 
I am still me and nothing has changed. Unless the good Lord changes my path i will live as i have lived. Only with the knowledge that i have an rich identity that goes back to Israel and what affects israel will affect me in the future. 
So in the mean time i will enjoy my life as me whether or not it affects others opinion around me. 
Hope this helps
Funny thingf is that my mom once called me a "Son of David" and I had no clue of what she meant until I found out recently. It was a well kept secret due to fear of persecution in the old days.

Live Long and Propsper
and God bless


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## noscreenname

Solomon's Tomb said:


> Well, the nearest Reform Temple is about ten _miles_ from me.
> 
> But, the nearest Unitarian Universalism Church is ten _blocks_ from me...
> 
> They're basically the same thing though, right?


This makes me think you're trolling. Do you know anything about the UU church? They are a great open minded group of people but if you are seriously thinking about converting "officially" to Judaism they aren't the route to go. You could go to a UU church and just follow Judaism without any Jewish blood if you wanted to, it makes no difference to them. They don't officially endorse any religion (well not necessarily true for all UU churches but they are rare) and accept everyone.


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## arnie

asw12345 said:


> have a bar mitzvah


First he must have a bris.

Op, time hack off your foreskin and you get to endure it the way every other Jewish baby does: No anesthetic allowed and some old Jewish guy gets to suck off the blood. Have fun!


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## kast

Get circumcised?


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## SilentWitness

Happy Hanukkah! :drunk


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## Zack




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## Persephone The Dread

I'm not gonna lie I've always found this a bit odd, like my grandparents on my mums side are Catholic and my mum was raised Catholic but I feel no pressure to be Catholic but it seems Jewish people often do hmm...but

but if you are interested maybe ask for more information at your local synogouge.


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## srschirm

Howlett said:


> Horde your money in a savings account and don't spend a dime on anyone but yourself.


:yes:clap


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## fashionxox

*conversion*



cloister2 said:


> It's easier to convert at a reform synagogue.


 getting a conversion at a reform synagogue where some 'rabbi' hands you some paper is not a real conversion to Judaism the biggest hint there should be is that jews aren't supposed to be offering to convert people theyre supposed to convince them not to because then if they sin or change theyre minds theyre still held accountable for everything


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## seinsohn

*Happy to Help if this is still an issue*

I am a practicing Jew and found these responses to be less than helpful. Some members got it right when they said that you do not have to convert. You are as with Jewish maternity you are as Jewish as Moses himself. That said, you should look into what it means to be Jewish and find someway to connect to it every day. There is a special organization called Chabad. They are a Chassidic group but they set up synagogues all over the world and help people just like you to rediscover their roots at a slow and judgment free pace. if you go to chabad.org you can put in your zipcode and find the website and contact info for your local Chabad Rabbi. He will be trilled to receive your call.

Feel free to message me if you or anyother Jews here would like to know more about anything Jewish. I've learned quite a bit of Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah, Chassidism, etc.


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## Losti

Your 26 . . . . You should apply for a free two week birthright trip to Israel before its too late (assuming you could be interested) like when your 27. In the US I think they have monthly trips. I think all you need is minimum one Jewish grandparent, preferably on the maternal maternal line.


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## MrKappa

Are you lactose intolerant?


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## Aeolian

This is an old thread, but a common occurrence. My advice would be to read the stories of those that came before you.


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