After a protracted bureaucratic struggle, a 30-year-old son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father has finally received official recognition of his Jewish identity from the Interior Ministry.
The resolution of his case, which spanned several months, hinged on the complex question of whether his mother’s conversion to Islam occurred before or after his birth.
The organization Yad L’Achim, a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) group based in Israel that focuses on outreach and assisting individuals returning to Judaism, accompanied the family throughout the process. They said bureaucratic hurdles are a “common phenomenon that delays reversion to Judaism.”
The case originated approximately 15 years ago when the man’s mother, residing in Eilat, separated from her Arab partner and decided to leave Islam and return to her Jewish roots.
However, out of “ignorance,” she did not complete the formal process of “reversion to Judaism” with the Interior Ministry. Consequently, both she and her son remained officially registered as Muslims, despite living a Jewish lifestyle.
The issue resurfaced about a year ago when the son, who now lives in central Israel, entered a serious relationship. During inquiries related to this new relationship, it was discovered that both he and his mother were still registered as Muslims.
Following this discovery, the mother contacted Yad L’Achim. The organization opened a file to clarify her Jewish status, and she quickly received official confirmation of her Jewish identity.
Subsequently, her son sought similar confirmation from the Rabbinical Court. The presiding rabbi determined that the young man had never formally converted to Islam, deeming his Jewish status valid from birth and negating any need for a restitution process. The rabbi issued a written statement to this effect.
Despite the Rabbinical Court’s clear ruling, the Interior Ministry remained unsatisfied. Officials demanded that the young man undergo a full formal process of returning to Judaism, citing “uncertainty about his mother’s registration status at the time of his birth.” This uncertainty stemmed from the lack of clarity regarding whether he was born before or after his mother’s informal departure from Islam.
After completing all the required bureaucratic steps, the man finally received official recognition of his Judaism. Yad L’Achim highlighted this case as illustrative of the significant “bureaucratic difficulties” faced by individuals and families seeking to formalize their return to Jewish identity after a period of being disconnected from it, or from a parent’s prior decision to convert.
The organization said it hopes the young man will continue his journey of approaching Judaism and will soon be able to marry, now that the “Muslim label has been officially removed from him.” The case underscores the intricate administrative challenges faced by those attempting to reconnect with their heritage in Israel, it said.
Though the story of the man’s official recognition as being Jewish is a unique story, it is not an isolated incident.
Even within Judaism, members of the faith often struggle with recognition of their Jewish faith – frequently based on questions of which parent is Jewish (if not both, Jewish law bases identity on the mother), or conversions outside of Orthodox Judaism.
Who is a jew?
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, which follows Orthodox Judaism, holds authority on decisions such as marriage licensing and other forms of registration, adding an extra layer to the definition of “who is a Jew,” contributing to discrepancies between a cultural or religious identification and how the state recognizes them.
Among those impacted are people who converted to Judaism, particularly conversions performed by Reform or Conservative rabbis – even when conducted within the Jewish state. A Supreme Court ruling in 2021 recognized Reform and Conservative conversions performed in Israel for the purpose of the Law of Return, opening pathways to citizenship, but challenges can still arise for other purposes, such as marriage.
However, those who underwent a non-Orthodox conversion outside of Israel still face struggles themselves.
Immigrants from the former Soviet Union also face scrutiny and significant hurdles. A significant number of Israelis, particularly those who immigrated from the former Soviet Union or are their descendants, are not recognized as Jewish by the Rabbinate, despite having Jewish heritage or identifying as Jewish.
The case of the 30-year-old man, whose mother’s informal “reversion to Judaism” was not officially recognized for years, highlights a specific type of bureaucratic oversight that can have long-lasting consequences for personal status.
Yad L’Achim’s observation that it “encounters many cases of this type, in which bureaucracy delays the return to Judaism of women and children who converted to Islam and then changed their mind,” further underscores that this is a systemic issue affecting many individuals seeking to fully integrate their identity with their official status in Israel.