by Basil Benson » Sun Jul 16, 2017 1:09 am
With a clatter, Esther removed a baking pan. She then looked Colette in the eye, and began to explain in a very calm tone what she meant.
"When a Jewish woman marries and has children with a gentile man, it's generally frowned upon but it's not forbidden. This is because any children that a Jewish woman has, in the eyes of the synagogue, are also Jewish. But if a Jewish man takes a gentile wife, any children they have will not be Jewish.
Basil was born to a Jewish woman, which means he's one of us. But if Basil marries you, my great grandchildren won't be Jewish because he can't have Jewish children. Only Jewish women can.
Furthermore, a Jewish man is to know this and if he takes a gentile wife he is not fulfilling his responsibility as a Jewish man to his people and he will be removed from the community, since he cannot actively engage in the breaking of the laws of the community and be a member of it at the same time.
I'm not allowing him to shrug off his responsibilities to his people, so you and him aren't going to work out."