Dear Rabanim
I was born jewish mom, non-jewish dad. My Ffather ad was converted by Bet Din of Rav Vozner when I was 14 and is religious (family did teshuva). Father adopted Chabad customs/practices. Mother is of Romanian Jewish background and says she is Ashkenazi, however I doubt it (surname in Hebrew, grandpa has the same name of grandson, came from a place there were both Ashkenaz and Sepharad). My guess is that mother’s family was Sefarad but just assimilate in surrounding Ashkenaz culture.
I am no longer Chabad. I fully respect them but have disenfranchised from their hashkafot a long time ago. I keep the sidur and some minhagim out of respect for father. Nowadays I pray at syrian/lebanese shul (accepts converts). I am married, with one kid, and have realized that the whole set of minhagim of my family is a mess. I am fond of Syrian community minhagim (sticking to masoret, straightforward). The rabbi I question sheelot is also Syrian. Question:
Can I adopt sephardic custom in my home since my father has no masoret? Must I keep minhag Chabad as he and mother do?
Answer:
If you have connected to the Syrian community and live among them, you may chose to adopt their minhagim. It would be proper to explain this to your father and obtain his permission to pursue this path.
