Am I Jewish Enough?

When discussing Atheism with an Israeli theist I'm often confronted with the question "If you don't consider yourself as Jewish then what are you doing here? What gives you the right to live here?"

That question alone infuriates me – as if my belief, or the lack of it, determines the legality of my citizenship. It reminds me of the No True Scotsman fallacy, which I'm sure many of you are familiar with. Can one not be a true Israeli if they don't consider themselves Jewish?

76% of the population in Israel is Jewish; however the majority of them don't practice Judaism religiously. Depending on your religious upbringing, those who weren't brought up the same way are not real Jews. Where do you draw the line?

With over 10 different movements in Judaism (Orthodoxy alone divides into 3 sub-groups, Haredi, Hassidic and Modern) that can't even decide what a true Jew is, how can one determine who is Jewish enough to be eligible to live in Israel as a citizen.

"According to traditional Jewish Law, a Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism in accord with Jewish Law. American Reform Judaism and British Liberal Judaism accept the child of one Jewish parent (father or mother) as Jewish if the parents raise the child with a Jewish identity…

…The question of what determines Jewish identity in the State of Israel was given new impetus when, in the 1950s, David Ben-Gurion requested opinions on mihu Yehudi ("who is a Jew") from Jewish religious authorities and intellectuals worldwide in order to settle citizenship questions. This is still not settled, and occasionally resurfaces in Israeli politics."

Why isn't it enough for people that I, despite being an Atheist – am attached to this place because I was born and grew up here?  I consider myself as Israeli because I love this country enough to fight for equality for secular Israelis. If I didn't care about my country, I wouldn't have been politically involved since my early teens to promote topics that are close to my heart. The question whether I am Jewish enough to be considered a citizen is irrelevant and pales into insignificance considering the amount of effort, time and care I've spent to promote causes that are dear to my very-much-Israeli heart.

The question should never be how Jewish you are (or whether you consider yourself Jewish at all) nor should it be how much you contributed to your country. I am Israeli by law and I have every right to live in Israel. No justifications needed.

Shelly