I have heard some talk to the effect that as long as an American Jew can trace his/her maternal lineage back to prewar Europe, he/she can be assumed to be Jewish.
Is this true? I assume there must be a point at which one can stop tracing one's maternal lineage -- but where is it?
Is there a time before which [we consider that] people simply didn't lie about being Jewish? When?
I ask for the purposes of:
- Aliyah
- Marriage, burial, and other lifecycle rites
- Counting in a minyan
- Touching wine
...And the many, many other purposes for which it matters whether someone is halachically Jewish.
Answer
in regard to aliya, touching wine, and counting for minyan one can rely on chazka that if someone was assumed a Jew he is. when it comes to marriage so long as there is no reason to suspect one can rely on chazka and does not need to research there yichus. Should there be a reason to suspect otherwise, you must trace back until there is no more reason for suspicion. (and then once again you can rely on chazaka)
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