An individual who had dutifully acted as the “Shabbos goy” within an undisclosed Jewish community for over three decades was recently revealed to be of Jewish descent, a revelation that emerged after his passing.
The man’s children presented compelling evidence of his Jewish lineage to support their request for his burial in a Jewish cemetery. The specifics of the man’s identity, the community he was affiliated with, and the country of residence remained undisclosed throughout this revelation.
Rav Eliyahu Maimon, who oversees the agunah department within the Israeli rabbinical court system, commented, “The chevra kadisha approached us for guidance, leading us to conduct an inquiry. Subsequently, we substantiated his Jewish ancestry.”
The name of the man, as well as the details about the community he was a part of, were kept private.
A similar notable incident occurred in Bnei Brak back in 1968, where a long-serving Shabbos goy, even engaged by the Chazon Ish, passed away, only to be posthumously discovered as being Jewish.
In the present case, the individual had been registered with a Jewish identity, but the community had maintained that he was not.
The rabbinical authorities employed various documents such as birth certificates and school records, supplemented by genetic testing, to conclusively affirm his Jewish heritage. The combination of these elements allowed for the unambiguous validation of his Jewish lineage.
{Matzav.com Israel}