The history of the family and the origin of the genus is a question that many inhabitants of the planet are interested in. Sometimes this is a common curiosity and an attempt to explain many family values and traditions, but in some cases it is a necessity dictated by the desire to leave for the original homeland. Anyone who intends to emigrate to Israel is interested in how to find Jewish roots.
Why you need to prove Jewish origin
If your plans include visiting national holidays, prayers and synagogues, then there is no need to prove the origin. It is enough just to know that you are a Jew. But there are a number of situations where words and self-awareness alone are not enough.
The list of reasons forcing you to start studying your family tree is quite wide:
- repatriation - moving to Israel;
- entry into the right of inheritance on the territory of the Israeli state;
- reunification with relatives;
- joining the Jewish community.
In the latter case, the search for Jewish ancestors is necessary in order to be able to carry out a wedding ceremony, circumcision, or be buried as a real Jew should be.
Most of the options for moving to Israel are discussed in the article "Immigration from the Russian Federation to Israel: Briefly about the main thing."
Those who intend to move to Israel for permanent residence and whose parents were not combined in an orthodox marriage will have to prove their Jewish roots for immigration. This is a prerequisite for those planning to emigrate to Israel under the 1950 Repatriation Act.
How to find roots
It is generally accepted that a candidate can become a Jew only in two cases:
- If his mother was Jewish.
- If he converted to Judaism according to all the laws of Halakha.
Hence the conclusion: you can try to prove the Jewish identity of the mother. The first step, where to start the search for Jewish roots, is to collect documents from relatives:
- birth certificates;
- marriage certificates;
- military cards;
- house books.
If in any of these documents in the column "nationality" is indicated "Jew", then you are lucky and the further procedure will not cause problems. But such a mark will not necessarily be found, because many Jews changed their nationality.
In this case, you can check for the presence of Jewish roots in the following ways:
- collect old photos of the family. First, you should consider whether there are Jewish symbols in the photographs: menorah, Hanukkah, prayer books, the Star of David and others. Any detail will be important, even if it is completely accidentally included in the frame;
- the next way to restore your ancestry is to search for Jewish roots by surname. First of all, maiden names are of importance. In this case, it makes sense to dig deeper, down to the great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. If you manage to find people with similar surnames, do not be too lazy to research their life path. If nothing useful was found in the last names, pay attention to the middle names of your relatives. Solomonovich, Davidovich, Moiseevich - all these patronymics may indicate that there were persons of Jewish nationality in the family;
- searching the archives is one way to prove Jewish roots if there are no documents. The so-called Stone Archive is a database on the burials of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries of the Russian Empire. In this database, you can find information about the graves of ancestors.
In each country there is an institution that is engaged in the study of genealogical lines. You can submit a request and get a detailed description of relatives several generations ago, if, of course, the information was not destroyed during the war years. You need to be prepared for the fact that the service may be paid. The cost of finding Jewish roots may depend on the complexity of the process and whether you do it yourself or through an intermediary.
- if none of the methods brought results, you can proceed to the next stage - DNA research. Such an examination costs about 85 thousand rubles in Russia, but it allows you to prove kinship with certain persons up to the 50th generation. The information obtained will even allow you to recognize from which region your ancestors originated.
Confirmation of Jewish roots by DNA test allows material that is taken from saliva or the inside of the cheeks. The results will be able not only to confirm nationality, but also to trace the history of the movement of previous generations, their place of residence.
How to file the collected evidence
Confirmation of nationality is a certain set of documents - questionnaires, archival records, birth and marriage certificates. The safest option is extracts from the archives of the registry office.
It is worth considering that all papers must be original, dated earlier than 1987, and there must be at least two of them.
The younger generation has to prove their roots in several stages:
- First, prove that the grandmother was Jewish.
- Then prove the nationality of the mother.
- After that, confirm your relationship with your mother.
It is not enough to know how to determine Jewish roots - you need to understand what to do with the information received. All information can be entered into specialized programs for building genealogy. Use free PAF or buy more modern Ages, RootsMagic, GenBox. For submission to the rabbinate, you will have to prepare paper originals of all documents.
What to do next
The next step is conversion (entering Judaism). This procedure implies not just acceptance of a different faith, but also changes in the standards of thinking, which will certainly affect the way of life, relationships with loved ones and even appearance.
Applying to the rabbi begins with filling out a questionnaire and talking with the rabbi, who will inquire about the reasons for adopting Judaism, biography facts and the presence of Jewish roots.
After that, a meeting with the rabbi will be scheduled for all relatives who intend to undergo conversion. If all goes well, the candidate will be sent to special training sessions to prepare for the procedure. The final decision regarding the right to undergo conversion is made by the rabbinical court, which sits in an expanded composition.
If Jewish roots are not found
Let's say you figured out how to find out if there are Jewish roots in the family, but the search did not lead to the desired result. Non-Jews can also emigrate to Israel: on the basis of the laws "On Naturalization" and "On Citizenship".
The first gives the right to legalization subject to the following conditions:
- reaching the age of majority;
- residence in the country for three years or more out of the last five;
- having permanent resident status;
- proficiency in Hebrew;
- availability of a document confirming the beginning of the process of leaving the previous citizenship.
Obtaining Israeli citizenship on the basis of the second law can be:
- children born in Israel, provided that the father or mother is Israelite;
- children born in other countries, provided that one of the parents has Israeli citizenship;
- children born after the death of a father or mother who is a citizen of the country;
- the husbands and wives of the Israelites.
Retired parents can also move if their children are already residents of the Israeli state.
Outcomes
Confirmation of Jewish roots is most often required for those who intend to move to Israel for permanent residence. The main thing is to prove that the candidate's mother was Jewish. This can be done in several ways: find the necessary documents, conduct archival research, do a DNA test.Non-Jews can try to emigrate on the basis of naturalization or the Citizenship Law.
