Convert to Judaism?

[Anonymous]

Anyone convert entire family to Judaism? Both myself and spouse were both raised celebrating the cultural aspects of Christian holidays but never went to church. Our children have never been to church. We are interested in learning more about Judaism as the beliefs appeal more than Christian beliefs. Is this ever done when no family members are Jewish?

[Anonymous]

Learning about Judaism is completely different from converting to it. I'd suggest you complete your "learning" portion before signing up to convert.

I'm Jewish, and a lot of the spouses who have married in have converted.

FYI - every reform and conservative temple will happily let you attend Friday night Shabbat services. Though I never learned much from those besides the songs. I learned a lot more from reading The Jewish Book of Why.

[Anonymous]

Where are you located? I know my synagogue temple rodef shalom in falls church has an "intro to Judaism" class open to the community. It is a big commitment to decide to convert that takes a minimum of a year of study.
I was raised interfaith but not really much Jewisj education and I converted before marrying a Jew. You have to do a lengthy period of study, both the cultural and religious aspects as well as learn basic Hebrew reading skills. Then when you are ready to make a lifetime commitment you go before a bet din or rabbinical court to prove your learning and commitment. Then you do the mikvah and say certain blessings signifying your rebirth as a Jew.
It's not like becoming a christian where all you need is your word and that's it.

If it's something you are interested in pursuing I would consult a rabbi. Strangely, the more observant Jews (orthodox and chabad) seem to have the most relaxed conversion process from what I have been told, while reform and conservative have more stringent requirements. Not sure why.

There's a great book by Anita Diamant called "to become a Jew" or something that was very helpful. Also your husband will be required to be circumcised if he's not, and if he is there will need to be a prick of blood witnessed by a rabbi at the Drs office to signify that it is now being done for religious purposes.

Judaism is not an evangelical faith and so the onus will be on you to pursue the conversion. No one will put pressure on you to go through with it or be ready to commit in a specific time frame. In my conversion class there were about 12 of us but only 3 went through with the conversion together. The rest weren't ready.

[Anonymous]

We have friends who sound a lot like you OP. Both were raised Christian but when they were expecting their first child they realized they connected with Judaism and took the process to convert. The husband's parents ended up converting as well. The baby was born before they finished conversion so he was technically converted as well. It was really beautiful and they have a spiritual homeX

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are you located? I know my synagogue temple rodef shalom in falls church has an "intro to Judaism" class open to the community. It is a big commitment to decide to convert that takes a minimum of a year of study.
I was raised interfaith but not really much Jewisj education and I converted before marrying a Jew. You have to do a lengthy period of study, both the cultural and religious aspects as well as learn basic Hebrew reading skills. Then when you are ready to make a lifetime commitment you go before a bet din or rabbinical court to prove your learning and commitment. Then you do the mikvah and say certain blessings signifying your rebirth as a Jew.
It's not like becoming a christian where all you need is your word and that's it.

If it's something you are interested in pursuing I would consult a rabbi. Strangely, the more observant Jews (orthodox and chabad) seem to have the most relaxed conversion process from what I have been told, while reform and conservative have more stringent requirements. Not sure why.

There's a great book by Anita Diamant called "to become a Jew" or something that was very helpful. Also your husband will be required to be circumcised if he's not, and if he is there will need to be a prick of blood witnessed by a rabbi at the Drs office to signify that it is now being done for religious purposes.

Judaism is not an evangelical faith and so the onus will be on you to pursue the conversion. No one will put pressure on you to go through with it or be ready to commit in a specific time frame. In my conversion class there were about 12 of us but only 3 went through with the conversion together. The rest weren't ready.

Where have you heard Orthodox/Chabad conversion are relaxed??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are you located? I know my synagogue temple rodef shalom in falls church has an "intro to Judaism" class open to the community. It is a big commitment to decide to convert that takes a minimum of a year of study.
I was raised interfaith but not really much Jewisj education and I converted before marrying a Jew. You have to do a lengthy period of study, both the cultural and religious aspects as well as learn basic Hebrew reading skills. Then when you are ready to make a lifetime commitment you go before a bet din or rabbinical court to prove your learning and commitment. Then you do the mikvah and say certain blessings signifying your rebirth as a Jew.
It's not like becoming a christian where all you need is your word and that's it.

If it's something you are interested in pursuing I would consult a rabbi. Strangely, the more observant Jews (orthodox and chabad) seem to have the most relaxed conversion process from what I have been told, while reform and conservative have more stringent requirements. Not sure why.

There's a great book by Anita Diamant called "to become a Jew" or something that was very helpful. Also your husband will be required to be circumcised if he's not, and if he is there will need to be a prick of blood witnessed by a rabbi at the Drs office to signify that it is now being done for religious purposes.

Judaism is not an evangelical faith and so the onus will be on you to pursue the conversion. No one will put pressure on you to go through with it or be ready to commit in a specific time frame. In my conversion class there were about 12 of us but only 3 went through with the conversion together. The rest weren't ready.

Sounds like a similar process to converting to Catholicism.

[Anonymous]

There's a lot more to Judaism than just the holidays and not believing in Jesus. Conversion is a lot of work.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you're looking for a cultural home and appealing rituals, but it's also important to be familiar religious tenets before you make a choice like this. It might be helpful to learn more about Christianity too, if you're only familiar with the "cultural" aspects. Jesus was a Jew, but he had a different take on many tenets of Judaism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are you located? I know my synagogue temple rodef shalom in falls church has an "intro to Judaism" class open to the community. It is a big commitment to decide to convert that takes a minimum of a year of study.
I was raised interfaith but not really much Jewisj education and I converted before marrying a Jew. You have to do a lengthy period of study, both the cultural and religious aspects as well as learn basic Hebrew reading skills. Then when you are ready to make a lifetime commitment you go before a bet din or rabbinical court to prove your learning and commitment. Then you do the mikvah and say certain blessings signifying your rebirth as a Jew.
It's not like becoming a christian where all you need is your word and that's it.

If it's something you are interested in pursuing I would consult a rabbi. Strangely, the more observant Jews (orthodox and chabad) seem to have the most relaxed conversion process from what I have been told, while reform and conservative have more stringent requirements. Not sure why.

There's a great book by Anita Diamant called "to become a Jew" or something that was very helpful. Also your husband will be required to be circumcised if he's not, and if he is there will need to be a prick of blood witnessed by a rabbi at the Drs office to signify that it is now being done for religious purposes.

Judaism is not an evangelical faith and so the onus will be on you to pursue the conversion. No one will put pressure on you to go through with it or be ready to commit in a specific time frame. In my conversion class there were about 12 of us but only 3 went through with the conversion together. The rest weren't ready.

In the Catholic Church, there is much more to it than that - it entails a year of RCIA classes and the decision to convert.

[Anonymous]

DC's JCC has "intro to judaism" classes that might be helpful. I think you should start by signing up for those and going to services regularly--reading some books is also a good idea.

If after some time you still feel like conversion is right FOR YOU then you should convert, and your husband should similarly make his own choice. My opinion on kids would depend how old they are. Note that if you have male children they would have to be circumcised and even if they already are, some denominations will require a drop of blood anyway.

Two other things to consider:
* If you have any desire to have your conversion recognized for immigration to Israel or so your child can marry an observant Jew, be converted by an Orthodox (non-Chabad) rabbi. You would likely have to go before a beit din and it's more difficult.

* It is tradition that rabbis try to discourage prospective converts at first. So if you are dissuaded from conversion, don't be surprised. Just go home, read and learn more, and try again in a month or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC's JCC has "intro to judaism" classes that might be helpful. I think you should start by signing up for those and going to services regularly--reading some books is also a good idea.

If after some time you still feel like conversion is right FOR YOU then you should convert, and your husband should similarly make his own choice. My opinion on kids would depend how old they are. Note that if you have male children they would have to be circumcised and even if they already are, some denominations will require a drop of blood anyway.

Two other things to consider:
* If you have any desire to have your conversion recognized for immigration to Israel or so your child can marry an observant Jew, be converted by an Orthodox (non-Chabad) rabbi. You would likely have to go before a beit din and it's more difficult.

* It is tradition that rabbis try to discourage prospective converts at first. So if you are dissuaded from conversion, don't be surprised. Just go home, read and learn more, and try again in a month or two.

Any beis din recognized by the Rabbanut in Israel will not allow you to convert Orthodox and then just drop everything so you can call yourself Jewish. They have really cracked down on this over the last 10 years and will invalidate conversions. If you want to BE Orthodox and live that way, then great, but they will not convert people who are not sincere about keeping mitzvos and living an observant life. Kosher, Shabbos, all of it.

PP who said the Orthodox process is "more relaxed" than Reform or Conservative, it is absolutely not. Orthodox shuls don't generally have a structured "course" for prospective converts to sit through, but there is an expectation of learning mountains of material either on your own or with the help of a community mentor or shul rabbi, putting it into practice, and then being tested by the beis din (essentially sitting there while a panel of 3-5 rabbis fire questions at you about minute details of halacha). If you aren't within walking distance to an Orthodox shul, you have to move. It can take anywhere from 1 to 5+ years and thousands of dollars when you have to replace all your treif kitchen implements, pay mikvah and beis din and tutoring fees, etc. Not for the faint of heart.

In answer to OP's question, I know a couple of families where the father was secular Jewish and the mother and kids weren't, the father became religious, and the mother and kids all converted Orthodox and are now happily living observant lives. I know other families where this has led to divorce. It's such a deeply personal thing and no two situations are alike. I would encourage you to check out some synagogue services in your area and speak to a rabbi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC's JCC has "intro to judaism" classes that might be helpful. I think you should start by signing up for those and going to services regularly--reading some books is also a good idea.

If after some time you still feel like conversion is right FOR YOU then you should convert, and your husband should similarly make his own choice. My opinion on kids would depend how old they are. Note that if you have male children they would have to be circumcised and even if they already are, some denominations will require a drop of blood anyway.

Two other things to consider:
* If you have any desire to have your conversion recognized for immigration to Israel or so your child can marry an observant Jew, be converted by an Orthodox (non-Chabad) rabbi. You would likely have to go before a beit din and it's more difficult.

* It is tradition that rabbis try to discourage prospective converts at first. So if you are dissuaded from conversion, don't be surprised. Just go home, read and learn more, and try again in a month or two.

Wait, what? I have never heard of Chabad conversions not being recognized in Israel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Any beis din recognized by the Rabbanut in Israel will not allow you to convert Orthodox and then just drop everything so you can call yourself Jewish. They have really cracked down on this over the last 10 years and will invalidate conversions.

Just so everyone knows, the current extent of invalidation of conversions is controversial - and is an issue between the (increasingly haredi dominated) Chief Rabbinate and many modern Orthodox rabbis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where are you located? I know my synagogue temple rodef shalom in falls church has an "intro to Judaism" class open to the community. It is a big commitment to decide to convert that takes a minimum of a year of study.
I was raised interfaith but not really much Jewisj education and I converted before marrying a Jew. You have to do a lengthy period of study, both the cultural and religious aspects as well as learn basic Hebrew reading skills. Then when you are ready to make a lifetime commitment you go before a bet din or rabbinical court to prove your learning and commitment. Then you do the mikvah and say certain blessings signifying your rebirth as a Jew.
It's not like becoming a christian where all you need is your word and that's it.

If it's something you are interested in pursuing I would consult a rabbi. Strangely, the more observant Jews (orthodox and chabad) seem to have the most relaxed conversion process from what I have been told, while reform and conservative have more stringent requirements. Not sure why.

There's a great book by Anita Diamant called "to become a Jew" or something that was very helpful. Also your husband will be required to be circumcised if he's not, and if he is there will need to be a prick of blood witnessed by a rabbi at the Drs office to signify that it is now being done for religious purposes.

Judaism is not an evangelical faith and so the onus will be on you to pursue the conversion. No one will put pressure on you to go through with it or be ready to commit in a specific time frame. In my conversion class there were about 12 of us but only 3 went through with the conversion together. The rest weren't ready.

Where have you heard Orthodox/Chabad conversion are relaxed??

Really? Does this apply to male children also? I respect religious practices, but that seems to get into sexual abuse territory if it is required of older children.

[Anonymous]

A friend from college, her family of origin, and her wife are all converts. They were both part or half-Jewish paternally so there was already a cultural connection. Once the wife converted, the whole family followed pretty quickly. But you know, they joined a very liberal congregation (LGTB friendly) and I think it was made relatively easy on purpose.