[jonatron]

"Chances are" doesn't count as evidence.

You can logically conclude that Halachally-jewish people will not consider themselves half-breeds. The Halachally-jewish people exlude the paternally jewish people - I know because I've experienced it.

By the way this whole thing is a non-issue, because in the days of the Patriachs, it didn't matter what the mother was. And the whole mother-determining jewishness rule was a rabbinical innovation of the middle ages.

For instance if there really was maternal transmission of jewishness solely, there would be a tribe named after Jacob's daughter Dinah.

[sheik yerbouty]

My guess is that this custom evoved as a consequence of rape and pillage by their "neighbors". The child of such a rape was raised as a Jew. Jews were generally forbidden to keep or bear arms for many centuries.

[skraeling]

>By the way this whole thing is a non-issue, because in the days of the Patriachs, it didn't matter what the mother was. And the whole mother-determining jewishness rule was a rabbinical innovation of the middle ages.

>For instance if there really was maternal transmission of jewishness solely, there would be a tribe named after Jacob's daughter Dinah.

Excellent! I missed this earlier.