Converting to Judaism
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Anonymous
| I think converting is such BS. Much of being Jewish is cultural - even with the Reform Jews. I have tons of Jewish pals who would support this statement. |
Anonymous
Thats fine, but recognize that the majority of Jews and the religion in an organized form does not share your beliefs. |
Anonymous
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OP, there is a woman in my synagogue that converted for herself and she is married to a non-Jew who is completely uninterested in anything Jewish. They also have a son who is not being raised Jewish. I also have a good friend who converted in college and will tell you that she converted for herself, regardless of the fact that she is married to a Jewish man now and has 4 kids that go to Jewish day school. If Judaism is something that speaks to you, then explore it. I don't know where you live but there are many welcoming communities around the area.
Most Rabbis are very willing to talk to you and explore what is calling to you about Judaism. There are no right or wrong answers and if you do decide to formally convert, you will find the right welcoming place for you. By the way, I'm Jewish married to a non-Jew and we have a Christmas tree and throw a giant holiday celebration and I invite my friends from the synagogue. Everyone comes to the party and has a great time. We do Christmas with my in-laws. My synagogue actually encourages the non-Jewish spouses to become involved and tries very hard to integrate them into the life of the synagogue. With the exception of a few rituals, the non-Jewish partners/spouses are as much "members" as the Jewish spouse. So much so that most people don't remember which one is the Jewish/non-Jewish spouse. |
Anonymous
Which synagogue to you go to? It sounds great. |
Anonymous
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For the record, Jew are considered an ethnoreligious group. The are neither defined exclusively by their ethnic, nor religious background, but a combination of the two.
Within the "Jewish" commuinity there are MANY ethnicities and MANY flavors of religious beliefs. We have Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews and we even have BLACK Jews all over Africa, most curious are The Jews of Rusape in Zimbabwe who are believed to be the Lost Tribe of Jacob. It is believed that when the Jews were chased out of Israel, some of them might have gone deep into Africa. This coveres the very diverse ethnicities of Jews. If you talk about religious flavor, we have Hasidic and Refrom and a TON inbetween. Sorry, no one has cornered the market on Judiasm. Jews are a very diverse group with lots of room for many newcommers. Many people have a Jew or two in their heritage. My great grandmother was supposedly a German, but turns out she was given to a German family and was raised as a secular German in order to escape death. This all came out very recently. Many people out of fear of prosecution have kept their Jew heritage a secret, often to their graves. |
Anonymous
For you and your friends, perhaps. For others it is quite spiritual. I think it's simplistic to believe a person must be born to Jewish parents or raised Jewish to feel an authentic spiritual (or for that matter, cultural) connection to the religion. How do I know? Because the reverse is true, as well. There are many people born and raised Jewish who feel no connection whatsoever. If they can legitimately opt out of the religion because they don't feel a true connection to the religion's beliefs and practices, it makes sense to me that others can opt in because they do. |
Anonymous
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OP here again. I have been so heartened by the supportive replies. I've found a couple synagogues close to my home in NW that seem, at least from their websites, to be very open to interfaith couples, as well as non-Jews interested in learning more. I plan to start by going to some services. The more I read about Judaism, the more I'm realizing it is totally in line with my belief system and values...sort of an 'aha" moment on my spiritual quest. I'm really excited to learn more.
The great irony is that my former husband is Jewish (non-practicing though) and while married to him, I never considered conversion! Guess he rubbed off though in some positive way. Thank you again for all the wonderful advice. |
Anonymous
| To 13:33 and OP, because you said you live in NW. I belong to Temple Micah on Wisconsin Ave. We have two great rabbis, either one would be willing to talk to you. I really like both of them. I think you might feel really comfortable talking to Rabbi Esther Lederman our associate rabbi. She is lovely. |
Anonymous
OP - not to discourage you, but just something to keep in mind. If your husband/children are not Jewish, you really need to carefully consider how this will impact them and your family. While you may start the conversion process in a synagogue or sect (Reform) in which an interfaith relationship is viable, once you start learning, you may find yourself gravitating towards a more observant lifestyle. I have many friends who began the conversion process with a Reform rabbi, but ultimately converted under Orthodox auspices. I am sure your rabbi will advise on this, but it is very difficult to reconcile observant orthodox or conservative Judaism with Christianity and very difficult, if not impossible, to lead an observant Jewish lifestyle in a household where others do not share those values. |
Anonymous
OP here again. Your points are completely valid, and deserve serious consideration. If I find this is the right path for me , I would like to raise my children, who are still very young, as Jews (it looks like they would need to convert as well, though the process appears much simpler). Obviously, my husband -- a Christian by upbringing, though not in practice-- needs to be on board. He knows of my interest in Judaism and that I do not believe in the fundamental tenets of Christianity, though he is unaware of the level of my interest as yet. As much as I seek a spiritual and religious home, I recognize that our family unit comes first. I am just having such a hard time reconciling Christian teachings with my own beliefs and am starting to get asked many questions by my children that I just can't answer honestly without completely contradicting what they have heard in church and from their Christian friends and relatives. I want my children to grow up with religion, so I feel like their curiosity is kind of forcing the issue right now. Once again, really appreciate the thoughtful responses. |
Anonymous
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One of the great things about Judaism, is it's tradition of questioning.
My husband converted for his own faith. He started by participating in holidays. By the time he spoke to a rabbi about converting for the first time, he has spent over a year celebrating shabbat and all the holidays. There are a fe holidays coming up. Lag B'Omer in a few weeks, and Shavuot (one of my favorites) the end of May. See if you can fina synagogue or chavurah that is celebrating near you that you can join in. |
Anonymous
Troll. This is an old and dated belief about judaism. OP. We learn first, walk the walk, and then convert. So start shopping for a shul. Find one that works for you. Start attending, and then talk to the rabbi about the next steps. |
Anonymous
But wouldn't it be a shame to be living a Jewish life yet not be allowed a full and complete role during services? Don't convert if you don't want but please show a bit more respect. |
Anonymous
Well Israel does not accept conversion to reform judaism. To convert and be recognized it has to be to orthodoxy and you have to spend time in Israel |
Anonymous
NP I'm interested but I'm black. Back home this would be no biggie. What about here? |