How Jewish was Dylan?

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Reports of the Klebold family’s Jewish ancestry first appeared on April 23 in the Columbus Dispatch of Columbus, Ohio, where Dylan Klebold’s maternal great-grandfather, the late Leo Yassenoff, was a respected Jewish community leader and philanthropist.

Also known as an outstanding football player for the Ohio State Buckeyes in his youth, Yassenoff’s influence was so lasting in the Columbus Jewish community that the city’s Jewish community center still bears his name.

The elder Yassenoff and his son, Milton Yassenoff, were members of the Columbus Reform congregation, Temple Israel, the Dispatch reported. Milton’s daughter, Susan Yassenoff – now Susan Klebold, the mother of Dylan Klebold -- was also active in the temple during her youth. Susan Klebold grew up in the Bexley district of the Columbus metropolitan area.

But The IJN spoke this week with a prominent member of the Columbus Jewish community, a longtime resident and leader of that city who has known members of the Yassenoff family. According to this source, Leo Yassenoff’s son Milton was an adopted child.

Another source reports that Milton Yassenoff was a Jewish orphan, legally adopted, who maintained a level of Jewish involvement during his life. Milton Yassenoff married a non-Jewish woman, the former Charlotte Hough of Ohio. Their daughter, Susan, could therefore not be considered halachically Jewish since her mother was not Jewish.

B’nai Chaim, the Jewish congregation nearest to where the Klebolds reside in Littleton, has apparently never had contact with the family members. This was emphasized both by the congregation’s former spiritual leader, Rabbi Judith Beiner, now of Overland Park, Kan., and its current president, Daniel Rothschild, in comments to the IJN.

Signals about the family’s religious practice grew even more mixed when it was reported that Dylan Klebold was buried Saturday in a Lutheran funeral. Skip Yassenoff also noted last week that Susan and Thomas Klebold had been members of Littleton’s St. Philip Lutheran Church.

The pastor of that church, Rev. Don Marxhausen, has told local reporters that he has been consoling the Klebolds since last week’s tragedy.

Telephone calls from the IJN to Marxhausen were not returned.

However, Marxhausen did speak to the New York Times this week, and told its reporters that the Klebold family held a Passover seder in its home this year. Dylan Klebold "asked the traditional four questions," the Times reported.

It remained unclear at press time whether what forms of Judaism or Christianity – or what combination of the two – was practiced in the Klebold home. Except for issuing a statement expressing sorrow at their son’s actions last week, the Klebolds have refused all media requests for comments or interviews.

The Yassenoff family in Columbus has apparently followed a general pattern of disaffiliation, says the original source. To this person’s knowledge, only one member of the extended family retains any affiliation or activity with the Columbus Jewish community. No others are known to be active.

According to Charles Huelsman, Sue's stepbrother, Charlotte actually did convert to Judaism: "She [Charlotte] also converted to Judaism, Huelsman says" (Kass p.33). Does conversion "count"? If so, Sue's mother would have been Jewish which would make Sue Jewish, too.

carrie12 wrote:

According to Charles Huelsman, Sue's stepbrother, Charlotte actually did convert to Judaism: "She [Charlotte] also converted to Judaism, Huelsman says" (Kass p.33). Does conversion "count"? If so, Sue's mother would have been Jewish which would make Sue Jewish, too.

Ah.

I'm as goy as all get out, so I wouldn't know.

Christians have it a lot easier ... all you have to do is say "Yes" when someone says, "Do you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?" (Or something like that.)

LPorter101 wrote:

carrie12 wrote:

According to Charles Huelsman, Sue's stepbrother, Charlotte actually did convert to Judaism: "She [Charlotte] also converted to Judaism, Huelsman says" (Kass p.33). Does conversion "count"? If so, Sue's mother would have been Jewish which would make Sue Jewish, too.

Ah.

I'm as goy as all get out, so I wouldn't know.

Christians have it a lot easier ... all you have to do is say "Yes" when someone says, "Do you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?" (Or something like that.)

Converts generally have more knowledge than someone born into a Jewish family, due to the whole conversion process being thorough and annoying. There's a test. And then another test. And you have to study everything.
Bon appetit.

Biologically he was 1/4.. religiously speaking he was not Jewish at all.

My kids were raised in much the same way.. Jewish mother but very little exposure to their Mother's born faith. Certainly aware of the major holidays & a few token respects during high holidays, but that's the limit.

Eric didn't know Dylan was biologically part Jewish until days before the massacre, as revealed in the basement tapes.

That had to f*ck with EH's head for a bit:)

Yeah he had some jewish ancestry, but that was it.

I should note that his family did participate in some jewish holidays and that Dylan had family members (on his moms side) who were practicing jews.

As far as I know, Dylan and his brotehr were "in theory" raised protestant christians, though in practice his dad was not very religious and neither Dylan nor Byron seem to have been active christians at any points in their life.


Similar case with Eric - his parents were catholic, celebrated catholic holidays but that was it. They were not particularly religious people either.

His family were, and he may have had it in his blood, but he and Eric were not like that, they were smarter than these religious cultists who follow their family and have been taught to believe in a certain religion since they were born and it becomes part of their entire life because it was forced down their throat at a young age, no no, Eric and Dylan pretty much tossed out everything that was taught to them since birth "thinking differently = crazy", "killing is wrong", "the whole purpose in life is to study, work and die" etc and they substituted all of the things that were taught to them with their own choices/opinions/beliefs, something not many people are capable of (which seemed to piss off Eric).. not that I think Dylan's parents were religious fanatics who forced him into joining them, I think his parents were not that religious and it was from distant relatives.

CharlesWhitman wrote:

His family were, and he may have had it in his blood, but he and Eric were not like that, they were smarter than these religious cultists who follow their family and have been taught to believe in a certain religion since they were born and it becomes part of their entire life because it was forced down their throat at a young age, no no, Eric and Dylan pretty much tossed out everything that was taught to them since birth "thinking differently = crazy", "killing is wrong", "the whole purpose in life is to study, work and die" etc and they substituted all of the things that were taught to them with their own choices/opinions/beliefs, something not many people are capable of (which seemed to piss off Eric).. not that I think Dylan's parents were religious fanatics who forced him into joining them, I think his parents were not that religious and it was from distant relatives.

Yeah but its not like Eric or Dylan's parents were deeply religious and tried to foirce anything down their throats religion-wise. I disagree Dylan's parents were religious fanatics - nobody who knew them ever said they were very religious. In fact most people associated them with "leftie" democratic secular values.

We have an alledged basement statement from Dylan who said: "my parents are at fucking passover". That alone is somewhat telling: they are going to passover, but Dylan is not. They are not making him go with them, which is just waht religious fanatics would do.

He LOOKS Jewish. Big nose, strong chin, curly hair when it's shorter. I personally noticed those features the first time I saw a photo of him (not knowing who he was) and was surprised that he had blonde hair and blue eyes when I saw color pictures.

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He does kind of have those Jewish stereotype features
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Also is his hair really blonde? his driving license and autopsy do say brown, but every photo of him his hair color looks different, it looks almost yellow in Hitmen.

Sabratha wrote:

They are not making him go with them, which is just waht religious fanatics would do.

Yeah, I know, I said I don't think that they were.

I think his hair was really that sort of "dirty blonde" you see on prom photos etc.

CWhitman wrote:

Yeah, I know, I said I don't think that they were.

Yeah my bad, misread your post it seems. Must be getting old or something.