I still struggle to understand the concept of Jewishness. At times it seems like a genetic lineage, at other times it seems like a faith. I could convert to orthodox Judaism, but since I have no Jewish ancestry (that I know of), it seems that I would still not really be part of the “tribe”. As for genetic lineage, it seems that a completely nonobservant Jew with the proper ancestry is still a Jew. In Islam, the lineage comes from the father but if a child rejects Islam, they are not only infidels but apostates worthy of death. In most other faiths, genetics has nothing to do with them. You either adopt the faith or don’t.