tracing ancestry through the mother
Can you be Jewish even if you do not practise Judaism?
Ok, so this is kind of a long story.
My uncle on my mother’s side traced back our Family History and discovered that my mother’s, mother’s, mother (great-grandmother) was Jewish and so was my mother’s, father’s, mother (being my other great-grandmother on my mother’s side). A lot of mothers, I know!
Over the past few months I have been very interested in Judaism and I recently went on a holiday to Israel where I found a bond with the Jewish community (a belonging feeling) even though I have never practised any religion.
At school we had a Jewish teacher who performed some prayer songs for us. I asked him about my Jewish ancestry and he told me that because Jewish identity runs through mother’s, even though I don’t practise the religion, I am 100% Jewish.
I was just wondering if this was correct?
You are Jewish if your grandmother on your mother’s side was Jewish – if she didn’t join another faith, and was thus Jewish, then yes, you are Jewish.
***If*** your maternal GRANDmother practised another faith and thus left Judaism, then you are not Jewish and neither is your mother.
That said, if you are a practising member of any other faith, you can’t define yourself as Jewish.
It’s great that you feel a kinship to the faith and I would absolutely encourage you to explore your Jewish heritage! I recommend speaking with a Rabbi; they will be very, very happy to welcome you back into the Jewish family 
If someone is born to a Jewish mother, born into Judaism, then they REMAIN Jewish UNLESS they adopt another religion.
Thus there are Jewish Atheists – they are simply ‘lapsed’ Jews, non practising.
Check these out:
http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
Please feel most welcome to ask us anything else, there are several Jews in this forum
To correct the first two answerers:
NO – we are not an ‘ethnic’ group.
There are Jews of all ethnicities.
And the Xian bible doesn’t GET to define ANYTHING about JEWS or JUDAISM.
Was Alexander the Great Illyrian?