Does it sound or look like I have Jewish ancestry?

[Ruskie]

At some point Debra you might find your Bloom family entering into England (it depends when and why they came).

This is what I was thinking as well. So best to trace the family the usual way in the hope that there may be documentation which will help you. Your easiest route initially I think might be to try to trace the family back to 1911, and earlier, through the censuses - this will give places of birth.

Also worth checking baptisms, marriages and burials.

If you would like help please post names and any dates and places you know, as long as the person is deceased, and we will try to find them for you.

[Josephine]

Some have stated that there are three aspects of Jewishness:
 1. Ethnicity (Hebrew)
 2. Religion (Judaism) (includes culture)
 3. Nationhood (the people of Israel)

While it is possible to guess that some individuals are Jewish, based on their physical appearance, clothing or manner of speaking, I have met many, many Jewish people who don't "look Jewish," so it is impossible to generalize, just as it is impossible to generalize for people from many other backgrounds.

I have a mixed heritage: English, Irish, Scottish, French and Jewish. People can usually guess the Scottish and Irish part based on my hair colour and complexion. People can't guess my husband's ancestry, even though he is also part Irish and Scottish.

I worked for several years for a Jewish organization. The Jewish people whom I met usually knew right away I didn't fit into #1 but, given where I worked, assumed I had either married a Jewish man and/or had converted to #2. However, the non-Jewish people whom I met assumed that I was #1 and #2.

I met the Prime Minister of Canada at a work-related event during Channukah. Since he knew my employer, when it was my turn for the handshake and photo opp, the PM wished me a Happy Channukah. The funny part is that I automatically responded, "Thanks, you, too!" Two Christians wishing each other Happy Channukah -- too cute! And so typically Canadian in its politeness. 

Anyway, my Jewish ancestor had a typically English name, so that was no clue whatsoever to his religion and heritage. I only discovered it when I couldn't find records for him and his wife and children in the local parish registers. Well, it took more than that, because at first I thought maybe he was Catholic. It actually took a few years and the assistance of others to find the records that proved it. I'm still trying to find out who his parents were (I have to have the $$$ to hire a researcher who can read Hebrew).

Oh, and I'll add that my Scottish ancestors had big noses, and I've had Jewish friends with noses smaller than mine.

Good luck and have fun with your searching!

Josephine

[DebraBloom]

I can't afford a DNA test right now (I'm in debt from college) 
And, I tried looking up my grandfather's family history but I cannot trace beyond him. No matter where I go it's a dead end. I can't ask him because he's gone.

So really this is a guessing game, I'm just wondering how likely it is based on what my mother said and the pictures.

My other relatives look 100% English but some of those traits in the pictures pop up here and there on my mother's side of the family. Those traits are most noticeable in the pictures of the relatives I posted photos of.

My mother and one of my uncles are dark skinned all year round, and had what they called a 'beak' nose. Sort of like a Syrid nose, that was 'large'. I'm also darker skinned even in the winter. My mother was actually brown, though my grandfather looked light skinned. When I look at myself I almost see some kind of Semitic features there.

The problem with tracing is that there is also families of 100% English and Irish origin with the surname, unrelated to each other, and they live in England also. Though according to a person who researched the surname, he said the Bloom families near Manchester were crypto-Jewish, and my family lives very close to there and there were people with Hebrew names like Esau and Hezekiah with my surname living in the same town my family lives. I also met a man with my surname in my town and he had the black hair, short head, and brown skin also.

My mother implied she was well implied that Jewish was an ethnicity, rather than a religion.

[Liz_in_Sussex]

Good Morning Debra,

And, I tried looking up my grandfather's family history but I cannot trace beyond him. No matter where I go it's a dead end.

Why don't you let the people on here have a go at looking for him (as has been suggested up there^^^) - they are brilliant at finding seemingly lost people - I thought I would never find one of my ancestors but they found him and now I have been able to fill out that branch of my tree.  Just give his name and what you do know - they really are very good!

Good luck with your research. 

Liz

[aghadowey]

As we've already mentioned, you cannot assume ethnicity of any sort by looks. I worked with a woman with pale, freckled skin and red hair with an 'Irish' name- she was Jewish without any Irish blood. A cousin, with no Eskimo roots, has high cheekbones and straight black hair and has often been asked if her family were Eskimos or where she comes from in Alaska.

You also cannot assume anything by names, either first or last. I live in Ireland and am often asked my mother's maiden name as a security question (which is a fairly common 'Irish' name in some parts of Ireland)- my mother's family are German and the surname her branch of the family uses (and has used for about 150 years) has evolved from a German name. Her father's family used mostly all Biblical names (Elias, Rebekah, Susannah, Jacob, etc.) but they were not Jewish- the names were taken from the Bible.

The best thing to do is trace your own family and see if you can discover their roots without getting bogged down by assumptions.

[Josephine]

Debra,

If you are not comfortable with posting information about your grandfather online, that's understandable. If you are still paying off student debt, that suggests to me that your grandfather was likely born long after the 1911 census was taken. If, for example, he was born in 1945, his parents might have been born circa 1920, still before the census. That means you have to find other sources to take you back to his grandparents (assuming they were in England in time for the 1911 census).

The following are sources that should provide information about your grandfather's parents to help you go backwards in your tree. Some cost money, some might be done for you at no cost, all involve some time and effort on your part. Once you know who his parents were, you can try to use the same sources to learn more about them. (I'm not asking you to post the answers online.)

- Do you have your grandfather's birth record?
- If he might have been baptized, do you have that record, or have you contacted the church[es] where it might have taken place to ask for a copy?
- Do you have his death record?
- Do you have his obituary?
- Do you know what it says on his tombstone?
- Do you have the record from the funeral home that handled his funeral?
- Is your grandmother still living and can she provide you with any clues?
- Do you know your grandfather's mother's name?
- Do you have his parents' marriage record?
- Is your mother an only child? Was she given any family papers after your grandfather died or did they go to a sibling of your mother's? If the latter, have you spoken to your aunt/uncle about the contents of those papers or about any stories they might have heard about family origins?
- Do you know what city/town your grandfather grew up in?
- Have you tried to trace his father in city directories?
- Do you know where his parents are or might be buried? Have you visited the cemetery to find their tombstones or written to the cemetery to inquire as to what information they have on your father's family members?
- Have you contacted the local library where your grandfather grew up, in case there is any information on file there already pertaining to your family history (including notices for births, marriages and deaths that might have been indexed by a local genealogical society)?

Good luck!
Josephine

[Josephine]

I just want to add that city directories can provide all types of useful clues. In addition to the man's name, occupation and address, depending on the era, you might also find the names of his wife and any teenage/adult children living in the same home. If, one year, the wife is suddenly on her own or listed as the widow of, you know to look for the man's death in that one-year time frame (although I'd widen the window by a few months). The same applies if the wife is suddenly not listed. If one of the children is no longer listed with the family, he or she might have gotten married in the previous year and moved out on his or her own.

Josephine

[ThrelfallYorky]

Josephine's comments and suggestions sound very good, Debra. Don't worry about finding if ancestors were Jewish or gentile, let's get them found somehow, then sort that out!
Having said that, if you're pretty sure about the Manchester connection, why not contact the Jewish Museum there? Even if they can't help you themselves, they may be able to suggest which of the synagogues in the area may best be able to help.
There are many "Blooms" who are Jewish - and those who are not. As many others have said, physical appearance is a poor guide. Research using the ancestors you know of, and swee what happens.
But do gather together what you do know, regardless of assumptions, and see how far we can all use that to help you trace the families back in time. Don't assume by name - I've got half the old testament names in my family history, but most of them were Anglican, Quakers or Methodists!
Oh, and Manchester City libraries have many directories etc., and newspaper records that, if you do start moving back in time in that area, I'm sure Rootschatters will help out with finding and using for you. Good luck.

[Hackstaple]

"I can't afford a DNA test right now (I'm in debt from college) 
And, I tried looking up my grandfather's family history but I cannot trace beyond him. No matter where I go it's a dead end. I can't ask him because he's gone".

Debra - you might be disappointed with the DNA tests as they will give you a great generalisation as to your ancestry which would fit hundreds of people.

Accept the good advice that others have offered. Don't work with assumptions about your family history. We all started somewhere with tracing our ancestry. On this forum there are hosts of willing helpers who have available to them all sorts of resources. Just post on here what information you have for certain - not guesswork. Ask for help - you may be amazed.  Every person born in the England or Wales since 1837 is traceable and lots from earlier dates.We have many Jewish members.