Leaving Judaism

From the point of view of the halakhah, there is no way for a Jew to leave Judaism, regardless of if s/he was born a Jew or converted. Although a person may formally and ritually convert to another religion, according to the halakhah s/he remains a Jew. That said, it is clear that there is great variety in how this can be interpreted. Some of those who have left Judaism and joined other religions no longer see themselves as Jews. Others maintain dual identities, for instance as Jewish Buddhists. Still others claim never to have left Judaism, but are not recognised as Jews by mainstream Judaism, like the Jesus-believing Messianic Jews.