Can a single Jewish woman adopt a child?

I would assume it depends on the policies of the adoption agency.

What Jewish policies might be in place? What halachos might be applicable?

For those that hold that lo aleinu a Jewish woman with a gentile husband by civil marriage - is single, would they permit adoption of a Jewish baby by such a woman? I might think that they would say that such a household, likely operated counter to halacha in other ways, would not be a suitable environment to raise a Jewish child.

thanks gila and rob for trying to answer such a difficult question

Rob, i liked the way you posed your answer - it took me a little while to get it(not your fault) but then after reading it a second time, i got it. I guess sometime the answer is there, but try to avoid it, or find a way around it.

quote:

Originally posted by rob:
What Jewish policies might be in place? What halachos might be applicable?

For those that hold that lo aleinu a Jewish woman with a gentile husband by civil marriage - is single, would they permit adoption of a Jewish baby by such a woman? I might think that they would say that such a household, likely operated counter to halacha in other ways, would not be a suitable environment to raise a Jewish child.

quote:

Rob, i liked the way you posed your answer

Cool, but please don't give me more credit than I deserve... in fact please tell us what answer you have discerned for yourself; I only had questions in mind!

Perhaps my loosely related questions led you to a useful answer?

Does anyone know the halacha on adoption by single people?

Rob...perhpas I am just avoiding the 'getting married' part - wanting children, but no where near the situation where someone would normally be able to have them... sigh

like wanting a glass of water in the middle of the desert

quote:

Originally posted by rob:

quote:

Rob, i liked the way you posed your answer

Cool, but please don't give me more credit than I deserve... in fact please tell us what answer you have discerned for yourself; I only had questions in mind!

Perhaps my loosely related questions led you to a useful answer?

This is only conventional wisdom, but here goes:

It seems to stand to reason that,

IF a woman was not to be married (for some reason beyond her control) and

IF the woman were to adopt a child that normally would not be adopted, (due to age, disability, etc.) and she were to raise the child in a Jewish setting and see to it that the child was properly educated,

Then it seems the both would be better off, and a mitzvah would have been performed, namely Chessed would be evident.

Perhaps the ultimate tzdakah in that a life would be saved.

Side note: if adoption was easier, so many children would have good homes that wouldn't otherwise. Especially if they would make it easier on homes already approved for the process.

It seems to me that adoption is a legal civil issue. It would address issues of inheritance, mother/father legal responsibilities.

Being a woman married or not, to a Jew or not, would not stop anyone from being able to take care of a child. Unless of course if the person is unsuitable to take care of a child. In a case like that she could be Jewish and married and she would still be unsuitable.

quote:

Originally posted by Yocheved Broscova-Guerra:
This is only conventional wisdom, but here goes:

It seems to stand to reason that,

IF a woman was not to be married (for some reason beyond her control) and

IF the woman were to adopt a child that normally would not be adopted, (due to age, disability, etc.) and she were to raise the child in a Jewish setting and see to it that the child was properly educated,

Then it seems the both would be better off, and a mitzvah would have been performed, namely Chessed would be evident.

Can I infer from your assumptions that if she chooses to be single and if the child is normal, than there are different principles at hand?

Almost as if to say that the single mother is a "second class citizen" so lets give a "second class baby"? and that make it all right?

Re-think it.

No, Boruch, THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM SAYING.

Here is what I am saying: NORMALLY in order to adopt a Jewish child, the family has to undergo intense scrutiny. It must be loving, well-adjusted, observant and in tact. THis is the IDEAL situation for a Jewish child to be placed into--not because single mothers are second-class citizens, (I was one for many years) but because HaSh-m desires that the family consist ideally of husband, wife, son & daughter.

What I WAS SAYING is that sometimes this is not possible--widowhood, divorce, lack of appropriate marrying-aged men in a diaspora situation, etc. IN THOSE EVENTS, I think some leeway should be given because the children shouldn't have to suffer having NO PARENTS because certain communities won't accept ONE PARENT as an alternative family situation.

I agree, that they should look for stable, fulfilled homes to place children into, but there are more orphans than households. Alternatives should be considered for the children's sakes.

The above provisos were giving ideas for new rules the ultra-orthodox could consider if they refuse to revamp the entire standing on the orphan issue of a "complete family" needing to be in place before an adoption could take place.

I am a single jewish mother. I was blessed to able to adopt my son while living in Ecuador South America. My son "Israel Rosen" is being raised jewish. He is turning 6 this year and I have had him since he was 2 days old. My son was left abandoned in front of a church in a small town. I happen to be traveling that day and came upon him. I had to perform CPR on him and he had a lengthy stay in the hospital. I have never felt so close to G_D as I did that day.... My son Israel may not have been born from my body, but he is a part of my heart and soul. Hashem lead me to that small town to save his life and for me to finally find what I had been searching for in a distant land(I had been wondering for about 18 month in South America). If Hashem wants you to adopt he will lead you to it.... you will find your kinder.

Shalom
Devorah

quote:

My son ... is being raised jewish.

I've heard this expression used in cases of mixed marriages with gentile kids. What does it really mean?

Does it indicate that the child is not Jewish, but is being raised with familiarity with Torah, and a Jewish parent is teaching them Torah? and the parent is trying to will into existance Jewish-ness without actual conversion?

For a case such as this, was the boy perhaps converted as a baby, and will likely have to re-affirm his decision to convert at some point later in life?

My son had an orthodox bris at about 3 months (he was very premature and was really tiny). He is not jewish by DNA but he had an orthodox conversion. His bar mitvah will be the reafirmation. My son atends a jewish day school and I hope that he feels like he is one of us.

Deborah:
Yo are exactly what i am talking about. I think you have done a great thing, and I cannot imagine that it would be HaSh-m's will that you raise him as a goy. His confirmation of his faith or later conversion notwithstanding. I am so blessed by your story. It is my intention to adopt several children from India (abandoned infants) and I would never raise them anything but, unless they clearly and vocally refused it, in which case I would never force upon them that which was not in their heart.

The gemorah (please excuse me, I don't know the source right now) says something along the lines that you can convert a young child (meaning very young) without asking him, because it's something that's good for him. (Applying the principle of: 'Benefiting one not in his prsence - Zochin L'adam shelo befanav'). S/He still has to 're-affirm' it when s/he becomes of age. (12/13)

Devora, what you did is a huge thing - a yasher koach! You saved a world.

Once, in my city, there was a hijack of a young couple, who had a few month old baby with them in a car seat. Unfortunately, the hijackers refused to let them take the baby out, so of course, the parents lost hope they would ever see their child again.

A night or two later, a friend of this couple 'happened' to be driving through a certain (seedier) part of town, and heard what sounded like a cry. So they got out their car, and the cry seemed to be coming from a trash can on the side of the street. And - you guessed it - it was their friends' young baby! Today this baby is around 25, and lives a few blocks from me.

Is it possible to calculate how many possible generations these people saved, from one act?

Hashem -Hu Ha'Elokim.

Dovi