In the Judaism, only a child whose mother is Jewish is considered Jewish, regardless of the father's religion. Indeed, a child born to a non-Jewish father and Jewish mother is Jewish. On the other hand, a child born to a non-Jewish mother and Jewish father is not considered Jewish. The child will then have to go through each of the stages of conversion if he wishes to become a Jew.

Why does Jewishness go through the mother? Why is the father's religion not taken into consideration?

Just as the physical connection between a mother and her child is unmistakable, the spiritual heritage follows the same path.

Indeed, the development of the body and the soul of a baby are intimately linked. Everything is transmitted in the womb, from conception to birth. The baby lives in the mother. They do not form two different entities, they are one for nine months. The child is nothing but an extension of his mother. The father plays his role as a parent at the very beginning of the pregnancy, but he plays a role as father from birth. But between the two moments, he is detached from the development of his child. The Creator wanted it to be so.

Whereas, for the mother, it's totally different. From the day she becomes pregnant, her life changes forever. Her body itself changes to give life, her spirit no longer belongs to her. She lives with her baby at all times, when she feels him move she thinks of him, when she does not feel him move, she worries and thinks of him. Nausea, belly stretching, legs swelling, silky hair, radiant face (or not) are all signs that show the world that life is being created inside the mom. And this is just an example of the long years of intrinsic connection she will live with her child.

We are not talking about the emotional connection or complicity that can be strong between a father and his child. We are talking about the unique physical connection that binds every mother to her offspring.

As the months go by, the baby's body develops, and the mother's body changes. But not only. The two souls also bind together and grow.

Jewishness is held in the soul. Indeed, a Jewish soul is special, and thus, only a mother who has one can pass this status to her child. This has nothing to do with the level of mitzvah observance. Even if a Jewish mother is not a practicing Jew, she is nonetheless transmitting this soul and its spark to her child, who will be born Jewish.

The bond between a mother and her child, during pregnancy, is so strong. It is difficult to conceive the power of this relationship. But when we assimilate the strength of this attachment, we can easily understand that the mother transmits her spiritual heritage to her baby in the same way as her physical heritage.