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O’Connor’s sister has confirmed that their mother was born a Jew and their grandfather was a rabbi. O’Connor, the now deceased former head of the NY Archdiocese, was a strong friend and advocate of Jewish causes, never new his background. The sister discovered her mother’s background only recently
There are many many halachic Jews who think they are gentiles. O’Connor’s mother converted from Judaism to Catholicism (apparently for marriage) and never told her son, the Cardinal. So he is from a recent family that left Judaism and yet he never knew he is Jewish. And he became a top figure in the Church, second only to the Pope (as all Cardinals are.)
How much more so the Jews who left Judaism throughout the last 2000 years, whether on their own (as 50% of Sephardic Jewry did in 1492 rather than leave Spain) or did so under force or were kidnapped as children and raised non-Jewish. All their decendents through the maternal line, for thousands of years, are Jewish even though they do not know it.
There very well may be, if not actually likely, many more halachic Jews who have no idea they are Jewish than there are Jew who know they are Jewish. In fact, there are likely hundreds of millions such halachic Jews.
On the opposite token there are many people who think they are Jewish while in reality they are gentiles. This is because of non-Orthodox conversions as well as all the descendents of such conversions. As well as others who somehow got mixed into the Jewish people. Unfortunately sometimes such people become an Orthodox “baal teshuva” and in reality they aren’t even Jewish.
Because he was from Zera Yisrael, he had a strong spiritual side.
In Morocco (where part of my family is originally from)….there are many muslim families from Fez (called Fassis, who nowadays form Morocco’s social elite) who are halachically Jews and up until some decades ago,…still married only among themselves even though they were “officially” muslims. Some of these families still keep their old jewish names,…like Kouhen (from Cohen).
why is this such a big deal. yeshu and his parents were also halachic jews.
I would certainly not call him a “halachic Jew”. (I think RJBS would not appreciate it).
I wonder how you even know if if his mother was a Jew according Halacha.
APY: Parents? Mother and her husband yes. But his father was a Roman soldier, perhaps named Pondre.
midwesterner. I make it my business not to argue about the catholic religion, with catholics. if they wish to believe joseph and mary were his “parents” who am I to argue with them. as far as they are concerned a roman soldier wasnt his “father” either.
why is this such a big deal
This statement appalls me. What is such a big deal? A Jewish man unknowingly steeped in the sin of idol worship no big deal? Never having the opportunity to do mitzvos cause he didn’t know he is Jewish? How can anyone think it’s no big deal? It’s a tragedy!
the only thing that is tragic is your sanctimonious hypocricy.
apushatayid: It’s a pity that YWNCR doesn’t offer the option of blocking comments from personal view of certain posters. If they did, I would block you.
Am I supposed to feel insulted?
Obviously to YOU this story is a BIG DEAL, so, exactly how is it a big deal? You saying tehillim for his neshama? Trying to get his sister to light shabbos candles? Reaching out to other lost neshamos?
This is in the news not because some religious catholic found out that his parents were Jews, but because of who that person was in the catholic hierarchy. To which I still ask, why is this newsworthy, why does the press make such a big out of this given that the original Christians were all Jews.
midwesterner,
The person discussed in the Gemara (that I think you are referring to) is probably not the Yoshke of the Christian religion.
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