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I attend a Bat Mitzvah program at our Temple where most of the kids have one Jewish parent. A bit of an argument broke out over who is the better Jew – someone who has a Jewish father, or someone who has a Jewish mother. The rabbi didn’t know the answer. Who is right?
Jewishness is passed on via the mother. If the mother is Jewish, the child is 100% Jewish. If only the father is Jewish (but not the mother), then the child is 100% not Jewish. Jewish identity passed on through the mother has been universally accepted by Jews for 3,300 years, and was decided by God, as recorded in Deuteronomy 7:3-4. The Talmud (Kiddushin 68b) explains how this law is evident from those passages. Modern attempts to revise this law have caused a dangerous split in the Jewish people.
In another sense, however, the father does passes on lineage, in terms of which tribe the child belongs to. This determines whether the child is a Cohen, Levite, or Yisrael. See Numbers 1:20-46 which explicitly categorizes the Jewish people by their "father's house."
Of course, in the event that one’s mother is not Jewish, there is no significance to which tribe the father comes from, since the child is anyway not Jewish.
It should be noted that just because someone's last name is "Cohen" doesn't mean that he has the status of a Kohen. To be considered a Kohen, one must have an unbroken tradition, as well as other factors too numerous to mention here. Nevertheless, it does turn out that many people who have the name Cohen also have the status as Kohen.
From the fact that the religion of the child goes by the mother, while the tribal affiliation goes by the father, we see that both parents must take an active role with the child. The mother is entrusted with the awesome duty of instilling in the child faith in God, observance of mitzvot, and Jewish pride. By way of metaphor, we see that the mother gives the baby food and love that brings out its internal potential. This is in contrast to the external qualities, represented by tribal affiliation that is the father's duty.
Feel free to write back if you have any more questions.
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The 'better Jew is the one who knows there is NO better Jew.
The only legal way for children of a one jewish parent relationships to be part of a Jewish community, is for them of their own free will to willingly accept the Iron Yoke of the Torah with help from Orthodox Jewish guidance.
So I’m just clarifying. If your mum is a Jew then your 100% Jewish. But if you aren’t super religious but still participate in most Jewish holidays and traditions, can you have a Bat mitzvah?
Yes, with a Jewish mother, a person is considered 100% Jewish for all purposes.
There are no Half-Jews. Either a person is Jewish (i.e., his father and possibly mother are Jewish or became a Jew through conversion) or he is not.
His mother must be Jewish or not considered Jewish halachically. Father has no bearing on if he is Jewish or not. This child with a Jewish father can choose to convert.
So how is it that we can trace our ancestors with our DNA? If a man marries a non Jew, that child is still of Jewish blood.
It gives us an idea of ancestry, but Jewish law does not consider it a proof of Jewishness. Your example illustrates it well. With a Jewish father alone, a person will have some Jewish genes but will technically not be Jewish.