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The Talmud says:

כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה – All Jews are responsible for one another. [Shevuot 39a, Sanh. 27b]

In order to help other Jews, we must first find out where they are. It is likely that the vast majority of halachic Jews today have no idea they are Jewish. A single Jewish woman who was forced to convert out a thousand years ago could have thousands of matrilineal descendents today, all halachically Jewish, all ignorant of that fact.

Do we have an obligation to conduct genealogical research to find out who is Jewish, inform them of the fact and instruct them? If not, why not? Isn't it a logical implication of the Talmudic phrase?

Maurice Mizrahi
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  • This post is brimming with brilliant ideas. –  Jul 15 '20 at 21:31
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    What will telling them accomplish? What if they're not interested? Do you tell non religious people who you know they're Jewish that they have to keep mitzvos? – robev Jul 15 '20 at 21:36
  • Never mind what it might accomplish. Are we obligated or not? If we know someone is Jewish, we are definitely obligated: "תּוֹכִ֙יחַ֙ אֶת־עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֥א עָלָ֖יו חֵֽטְא׃ Rebuke your kinsman and incur no guilt because of him." [Lev. 19:17] – Maurice Mizrahi Jul 15 '20 at 21:47
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    Keep reading in that Gemara. You're only responsible for your fellow Jews' actions if you had the ability to stop them and don't. – DonielF Jul 15 '20 at 22:01
  • We are not 'definitely obligated'. See my answer to this question: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/102026/kiruv-after-refusal-multiple-times – Jay Jul 15 '20 at 22:09
  • @DonielF -- Shevuot 39b talks about the ability to protest, not to stop. When do you not have the ability to protest? – Maurice Mizrahi Jul 15 '20 at 22:11
  • @Jay -- "if it seems like the sinner won't listen then it is forbidden to rebuke him". More than that: If the sinner is unaware that he is sinning, you may not inform him if, in your judgment, he will continue to sin. But this is beside my question. – Maurice Mizrahi Jul 15 '20 at 22:14
  • I always understood this quote to mean that all Jews are Arabs ;). In all seriousness, though, there are groups working with alleged bnei Anusim in Latin America (particularly Mexico, Colombia and Brazil) using this exact reasoning as the halachic underpinning of their work – יהושע ק Jul 15 '20 at 22:41
  • In due time, haShem himself will gather the tribes, no matter how far dispersed, and unite us. – Ilja Jul 16 '20 at 07:40
  • I know if a non-Jew discovers he is Jewish then he has an obligation to become Jewish. – Jonathan Dec 19 '20 at 22:31

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