 On Rosh Hashanah, 2007, I spoke about the issue of patrilineal versus matrilineal descent. In other words, is a child born of a Jewish father Jewish even if the mother is not Jewish? So it is not a question that has just recently arisen. It's been bouncing around for a while. Reform Judaism adopted patrilineal descent about 20 years ago. Conservative Judaism has not. What is right for Congregation Shomray Hadath for 2010?
I will be conducting three sessions for the purpose of discussing this question. It is my intention to explain it in more detail, setting out my ideas of the pros and the cons. It is also my intention to give others an opportunity to do the same. If anyone has articles to bring to our attention on the subject, they will be welcome also--on the condition that they have been given to me in advance so that I can have a chance to read them through.
Everyone is invited to attend at least one of these sessions, intentionally scheduled at very different times. You can attend all of them, if you wish. the schedule is as follows:
Sunday, January 17th at 11:00 AM
Thursday, January 21st at 1:00 PM
Tuesday, January 26th at 7:00 PM
On March 17th, the Ritual Committee will meet to decide whether to recommend to the Board of Trustees the acceptance by our congregation of patrilineal descent.
Your attendance at one (or more) of the sessions, your understanding, and your input are important. |
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