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Can a Jew lose their status as being a Jew by performing any action (example: performing idolatry, disavowing core beliefs, converting to another religion, etc)? Or once a person is a Jew then they keep this status no matter what?

And if a person would always maintain their status as a Jew (in terms of other Jews viewing that person to still be obligated to follow the commandments), then what in practice would be the significance of a Jew converting to another religion?

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On the phrase "status as being a Jew" - there are many things that define and qualify one's "Jewish status" that are incidental: what "abilities" or "privileges" a person has in performing certain functions in Jewish life and law. However, the rights that one accrues are at most secondary in terms of his essential "Jewish status", which is defined by his obligation to uphold the laws of the Torah (as they pertain to him). This does not change, regardless of what a Jewish person does. –  WAF May 24 '11 at 14:02
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4 Answers

up vote 13 down vote accepted

For a person who has renounced their Judaism, it appears that while the person doesn't need to undergo a full conversion (on a Torah level), they do need to reaccept the Torah on some level and immerse in a mikvah before returning to the previous status. This seems to be especially true if the Jew literally worshiped idolatry.

  1. Rambam, Hil. Mamrim 3:1-3: A person who doesn't believe in the Oral Torah, of his own will (ie: he was not mislead by someone) is no longer part of Israel - "כל אלו אינן בכלל ישראלd"
  2. Rambam, Hil. Avodah Zarah 2:5: A Jew who worships idolatry is like a non-Jew in all respects - ישראל שעבד עבודה זרה--הרי הוא כגוי לכל דבר
  3. Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deiah 268:12, Rema: A Jewish apostate who performs Teshuvah (repents) does not need to immerse in a mikvah (in order to return to his former status, on a Torah level); on a rabbinic level he has to immerse and accept upon himself the mizvot ("דברי חברות") in front of three people.

If the person converted to another religion, there may also be procedural differences depending on what religion the person converted to (since some religions may have the status of being idolatrous, and some may not), or what they specifically did to disown their Judaism (or what beliefs they held that were against Jewish core beliefs).

Of course, this is a complicated topic with additional responsa literature, so please see a proper rabbinic authority if this is a practical issue for you.

Further reading:

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+1. You never lose the obligations of being a Jew, but you can lose the privileges by sinning in certain ways (until you do teshuva). This is one of the reasons rabbis are traditionally reluctant to convert -- fear of creating a sinning Jew if the candidate turns out not to be committed. –  Monica Cellio May 24 '11 at 13:08
what's the point of asking if you are going to answer yourself? is this allowed? –  Avraham May 25 '11 at 15:47
@Avraham: We (the m.y community) have allowed real questions that someone wondered about (or could well have) and discovered an answer to. The FAQ (and the old FAQ) says "It’s also perfectly fine to ask and answer your own question". –  msh210 May 25 '11 at 17:12
@Avraham: yes, that's part of the purpose of SE sites - self-education. –  Alex May 25 '11 at 17:15
So jews have babtism too? –  Jim Thio Jul 25 '13 at 2:13
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For some related sources, see the subject of Anusim on Wikipedia, specifically, and especially, the short section on Rabbinic Legal Opinions, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anusim#Rabbinic_legal_opinions



Hakham BenSión Uziel, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of the State of Israel, stated in mid-20th c.


It follows that Hakham Uziel considered anusím as Jews, because only Jews can give or receive a Get, a Jewish divorce.



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Certain sins will cause a Jew to lose his status for many things, but not for marriage, divorce and children. I.e, a Jewish woman's children are always Jewish no matter what sins she's done, and they do not require conversion. However, if a person or group becomes completely disconnected from Judaism for many generations, they will completely lose their Jewish status for everything.

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How many is many? –  soandos Aug 17 '12 at 6:26
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today is hard to a jew loose it's status as a jew since rabenu ovadia says that the generation has the status of tinok shenishbah.

on the other hand there are sins that have the punishment of caret. so his soul wouldn't be jewish after his death.

but even while someone maintain his status as jew he may gain the status of someone that can't be trusted (with food or testimony)

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I don't believe that's what caret means. –  Ariel Apr 12 '13 at 1:34
Which Rabbeinu Ovadia, and where does he say this? –  Adam Mosheh May 12 '13 at 18:10
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