Can You Be Jewish If You Don’t Believe In God?

Even long-term blog readers might not be aware that the core of Jewish Values Online is a treasury of questions and answers about Jewish values.  Close to 1000 questions appear on the site and most have been answered by an Orthodox rabbi, a Conservative rabbi and a Reform rabbi.

 

Lots of people seem to be fascinated by the question of whether being Jewish requires a belief in God, since it’s one of the most frequently asked questions at Jewish Values Online.

 

In a nutshell, our rabbis all agree that the answer is no. But they all touch on intriguing dimensions behind the question.

 

Orthodox Rabbi Gidon Rothstein makes a distinction between those who are born Jewish and those who convert, or wish to convert, to Judaism. Rothstein states unequivocally, “If you're born a Jew, you are a Jew your whole life, no matter what you do.” According to Rothstein, there isn’t anything a born Jew can do or believe that would cancel his or her status as a Jew. He says, “A Jew who has ‘converted’ out is certainly less connected to Judaism than others, but is still a Jew.”

 

On the other hand, writes Rothstein, “Conversion to Judaism, incidentally, is a religious process and, at least in Orthodox circles but I would think in Conservative circles as well, is impossible without agreeing to faith in God. A convert who did not believe in God at the time of conversion would be an invalid convert, and therefore not Jewish.”

 

Regarding doubt, as opposed to outright disbelief, Orthodox Rabbi Richard Wolpoe says, “An Orthodox Jew is required to Believe in God. However, if one starts from a position of doubt, it is legitimate to then begin the journey to discover God and eventually to Know God.”

 

Orthodox Rabbi Alan Yuter makes it clear that it’s best to be a believer. Nevertheless, “A Jew ought not to be an atheist but a Jew remains a Jew even if that Jew is an atheist.”

 

Conservative Rabbi Jesse Olitzky wonders if it’s possible to truly be a Jewish atheist. “While many atheists are adamant about not believing in God, I believe they are rejecting a theological belief they once learned.” Olitzky goes on to affirm that, for everyone, “[B]eing Jewish and identifying as a Jew means that we struggle with our relationship with God.”

How one defines God is a factor important to Conservative Rabbi Michael Schwab. “As a Conservative rabbi, I certainly hold that a belief in God is an extremely important part of any Jewish identity.  However, Judaism has rarely required one to define God, leaving room for a wide variety of beliefs about God: God as the mover of history, God as the unity of the universe, God as the spirit inside of all living beings, etc.”

 

 As Reform Rabbi Dan Danson summarizes, “What is striking is that the answers from across the Jewish spectrum are in accord. Is it the traditional ideal in Judaism that one should believe in God? Absolutely. But if you are born Jewish there is no formal test of belief in God that one has to pass to remain Jewish. Have Jews differed in exactly how they understand God, beyond God being one? Certainly. But because there is no public catechism, that is, a single, rigid, statement of what God is and what faith means, there is room for a wide range of understandings about God’s nature.”

 

If this question intrigues you, you can read our rabbis’ fuller answers here, here and here.

 

 

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