What documents do you have to provide as an American citizen in order to prove you're Jewish to make aliyah?

Question

Hi! I want to make an aliyah to Israel. I'm American. When applying to a consulate what documents will i have to provide to prove I'm Jewish? thanks

Answer 1

Just a novice opinion, but your birth certificate, pictures of your attendance at your synagogue's high holidays ceremonies; and any other evidence of your Judaism and observance of your faith. Proving your ability to write in Hebrew would help, as well.

Answer 2

They will ask for things like your parents' ketubah, certificates from synagogues that you or your ancestors attended, or records of death or pictures from Jewish headstones of your ancestors' graves.  The problem is that Israel is dominated in this matter by the ultra-orthodox rabbinate, who reject all Reform, Conservative, and even many Orthodox rabbis as insufficiently religious, even for practical matters.  They also don't recognize ANY conversions done outside of Israel at this point, even if done by an Orthodox rabbi.

You'll know pretty quickly whether they are going to give you grief about this.  If they will, your best bet is to contact a Conservative Jewish organization in Israel through a local rabbi who can help guide you through this process.

Answer 3

in israel they will accept you as a citizen if you can proove you are jewish birthe certificates of parents and grandparets.but will also ask about the culture and i guess knowing hebrew is important.a friend went there having studied at a hebrew school in mexico,knowíng a lot about the religion,and she had to either say or write about why she wanted to live in israel.