Posted on 07/27/2011 4:49:39 PM PDT by SJackson
Gwyneth Paltrow has, at one time or another, announced that she does not believe in religion, is simply spiritual, and is raising her kids Jewish. Perhaps she is a little confused about what she wants to do, or practice, but at the end of the day, does it even matter? I say yes it does.
The Jewish population is getting smaller. With inter-faith marriage, people opting to not have children at all, or simply stepping away from religion entirely, there are less and less Jews every year, so I figure if a woman wants to raise her kids Jewish, who am I to judge?
We need more Jews! Our faith dictates that our religion is passed on from mother to child, so by that criteria, Gwyneth Paltrow is not Jewish, so neither are her kids, so she cannot possibly raise them to be Jews. That is simply a ridiculous argument in any scenario.
Lance Armstrong’s mother was not a champion cyclist, but she raised one. Neil Armstrong’s parents never went to space, but they raised a son to walk on the moon. I have never won an Oscar, but I am raising a child who will be an award-winning actor and director one day.
I am Jewish by birth. My family has been Jewish, on both sides, for as far back as we have been able to trace, so does that qualify me to raise my son Jewish more than Gwyneth is to raise her children Jewish? Are Jews so elitist that we would tell her she can’t do it?
My son spent ten years in a private Jewish Day School and I had to Google half of the holidays they closed for because not only did I not know what the holidays were, but had never heard of them. I eat lobster and make my son cheeseburgers, so am I qualified to raise a Jew?
Paltrow is a big star, people listen to what she says, so if she can make it cool to be Jewish, I say rock on sister. Jews are cool baby. On behalf of my Jewish self, and my Jewish son, I say welcome. Do whatever you want. It’s an important thing to give your children faith.
To clarify, Apple will need to convert if she wants to marry my son, but no worries, you will have done all the legwork so it will just be a formality. In a world where Jews continue to struggle to be accepted, I welcome those who wants to take it on and say to you all, keep the faith.
I had always wondered if Islam was a faith of law being born into like Judaism, or if Muslims were born Arabs and converted to being Muslim....
Her children should not be shunned or punished because their mother is a ditzy leftist who’s using them as a publicity stunt.
So you are saying the first human beings *Adam* were born as gentiles and everyone was a gentile by blood and genetics until Abraham?
Who cares what Jews think? No insult intended to Jews, But what % of the Jews currently alive give even a rats rear end to what Conservatives think?
From what I hear of them (on the radio, or TV) they have no use for us.
So again I ask, Who cares? And if you do , Why
I have a sneaking suspicion that Kabbala is involved.
Exactly. And though more stressful, I suspect, the kids can without mom.
Re: the Rabinette, have you heard the story of Pope Joan?
Yes, but good luck with that.
Haven't posted to you in a while, but as I recall your suspicions are often correct.
I can’t imagine the draw. Father was a complete d!ckh3ad. Dietary laws. Weird holidays that center on religion. It’s hard to be a converted partial Jew.
When my brother moved to LA, he tried to break into show business. He looked Jewish. I told him to convert but he said “They’ll know”. It’s not the hook. It’s the Jewish mother.
How dare she nominate herself as chosen.... I guess muzzies are not the only ones with a dhimmi class, like hindus with untouchables and so forth. The whole pecking order or religion, groups, races, two guys at a bar, does make the whole evolution thing sound plausible at times.
Think of the Jewish people as a family. A convert is adopted into the family with all of the rights and responsibilities.
A convert is a true Jew.
Just ask Ruth...
You lost me
To be fair, Ruth married into the family. Twice. And to be entirely truthful, Jews have always looked down their noses at converts.
Every group has their core segment that is in an adversarial relationship with other group segments and with everyone else outside the group, AKA the unworthy non-entities. Elitist, racist, bigoted, nationalist.....it is all the same pack animal hatred/fear of those outside the group, and of those not deemed worthy to join. Not allowed to practice Judaism because of lacking a genetic connection is a humbug.
I was taken aside at my synagogue and told to tell no one that I was a convert. If someone asked if I was a convert, I was to turn my back on them and to ignore them.
It is considered rude to ask. Rude to discuss it. Converts are Jews. Period.
Yes, there is a bias, but most Jews don’t have the prejudice. Converts are protected from the ignorant few.
Ruth was considered a Jew before she married a Jew. (Or she would’ve not been allowed to marry a Jew in the first place.) Her children and grandchildren were considered full-Jews.
If they weren’t, we wouldn’t have had King David. He never have been allowed to become king if people considered his bloodline tainted.
Gwyneth Paltrow and her children aren't Jewish, segment or otherwise. They are no more a segment of Judaism than they are a segment of Mormonism.
If she wants to convert she can do so anytime she wants. But she doesn't want to convert, she wants to pose.
I am not sure I agree with this statement. Naomi's family left Bethlehem and moved to Moab to escape the famine. Her son took Ruth, a Moabite, as his wife. Then her husband died. And according to the Law of Moses, some male relative is supposed to take her as his wife and support her.
It is also debatable that Naomi tried to talk her into staying in Moab so that she would not be "burdened" with a foreigner daughter-in-law. Boaz also goes so far to call her "Ruth the Moabitess".
Regardless, her children were considered Israelites or specifically, descendants of Judah. It is an interesting conversation, none the less.
The Khazars did, at the direction of their khan, who listened carefully of expositions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and chose the latter for his people -- and they all proselytized en masse.
A Jew is someone born of a Jewish mother, or who converted. Paltrow's mother wasn't Jewish, and Paltrow never converted. Ergo, Paltrow's not a Jew. Paltrow has, to my knowledge, not indicated that she will convert, or that she will convert her children. So her children aren't Jews either.
The equivalent would be someone born in Mexico, to Mexican parents, whose parents raise him with American culture and give him civics lessons in American history. Such a person might know a lot about America. But, without naturalizing, he wouldn't be an American.
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