How can i prove i'm jewish?

[Kohava]

How can i prove i'm jewish?

I am hoping to make Aliyah when i turn 21 and graduate from university. I would like to know what the degree of relation must be to prove my jewishness. I was raised jewish in a sense, as my grandmother was Jewish, although my mother (her daughter) follows not faith as such, i was alway smuch closer to my grandmother than my mother. Is this a close enough degree of relation. I am jewish! it would seem silly to have to undergo a conversion. Please could someone also tell me what documentation i require to prove my jewishness? Also, my boyfriend would like to go with me, but he wants to convert to judaism first so that he can better fit in (he is genuinely interested), i know marriage is an option but i don't think we are ready for that yet looking at the divorce rate for first marriages... maybe in another twelve years or so, lol. What would he use to prove his conversion? So, how can i prove i'm jewish? How does a convert prove they have converted?

 

[yeshtikva]

here's some help...

If you contact the Jewish Agency office nearest to you their Aliyah department will have all the answers but here's what I _think_ is the case - I could be wrong or not have all the right information though. Basically, you have to show something like your grandmother's Ketubah and then official documents that link you to her to prove the relation, so birth certificates of your mother, and yourself would work. The Law of Return says that one Jewish grandparent is enough, so as long as you can prove that your grandma is Jewish, that should be OK. About your boyfriend - he can make Aliyah if he converts, as long as the conversion is made through a Beth Din that's recognised by the authorities in Israel. These include the Reform, and Conservative as well as Orthodox - could be others too but the Jewish Agency can advise you. The conversion will take some time though - I assume you know about this already if you looked into it. To prove he is a genuine convert he will have to show the Conversion Certificate that the Beth Din would give him when he is approved by them. He would also need letters from the supervising Rabbi, and also documentation to show what the Conversion course covered. He may also need other documents, but again the Jewish Agency can help you. At the present time he might also have to wait one year in the community that converted him before being eligible for Aliyah. Good luck!