HOW THE THREE MAIN BRANCHES OF JUDAISM DEFINE A JEW

October 17, 1984

Orthodox: * A person born of a Jewish mother.

* Or a person formally converted by an Orthodox rabbi.

Conservative:

* A person born of a Jewish mother.

* Or a person formally converted by a rabbi. In most cases, Conservative rabbis accept as a Jew a person converted by a Reform rabbi.

Reform:

* The child of a Jewish parent, mother or father, is presumed Jewish if that child has been raised in a Jewish household and has performed public acts of Jewish identification. This is a statement of belief, not a law.

* Or a person formally converted by a rabbi.