Judaism is Not a State of Mind
Judaism is clear about issues of intermarriage and conversion. One cannot will himself or herself into being Jewish; lineage is transmitted through the maternal line. I do not point this out to be cruel or insensitive. In truth, Cox is probably raising her children with a stronger sense of Jewish identity than many secular Jews. I say these things because the majority of the Jewish world—even a good portion of the liberal community—does not consider people in this situation Jewish. Only Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have embraced patrilineal descent. …Every Jewish person, even those born Jewish, has had to wrestle with his or her relationship to the Divine. We’ve all had to decide how our Judaism will be expressed on a day-to-day basis as individuals, as families and as communities. But what Cox doesn’t seem to realize is that she’s made a fundamental decision for herself and her children. If none of them have converted, then none of them are Jewish.
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