Jun 1, 1983 — PATRILINEAL DESCENT
| Jewish identity by birth throughout the ages has been determined by all Jews as deriving from the Jewishness of the natural mother. This principle has preserved the unity of the Jewish people. Therefore, the Rabbinical Council of America deplores and denounces the resolution adopted by the Central Conference of American Rabbis at its recent convention that the Jewish identity of the child can be determined by patrilineal descent. This action of the Central Conference of American Rabbis is destroying the oneness of the Jewish people and publicly inviting and encouraging intermarriage. A child born to a non-Jewish mother is not Jewish and no statement to the contrary can legitimize its Jewish identity. We urge the Central Conference of American Rabbis to reverse this deplorable decision. The Rabbinical Council of America in convention assembled, CALLS upon its president to appoint committees to undertake the following action: 1. to educate the Jewish community to the schismatic nature and dangerous implications of the recent patralineal resolution adopted by the CCAR. 2. to take whatever steps are necessary to guarantee the Halachic integrity of the Jewish family. 3. to urge our colleagues to use the second day of Shevuos for prayers for the wholeness of the Jewish people and for making their members aware of the implications of the CCAR resolution. |
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