Anonymous wrote:I might start with this:
https://reformjudaism.org/learning/judaism-classes/introduction-judaism/introduction-judaism-northern-virginia-va-0#:~:text=This%2018%20week%20course%20will,and%20Israel%2C%20even%20Jewish%20food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chabad has a wonderful website and a number of centers in the DMV. Amazing people!

Chabad is friendly if you were born a Jew and want to become more religious. Doubt they are what OP is looking for.

This is also what I was reading - I'm not sure they would be interested in a non-Jew.

They were very welcome to my son, who is half-Jewish (mom’s side).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chabad has a wonderful website and a number of centers in the DMV. Amazing people!

Chabad is friendly if you were born a Jew and want to become more religious. Doubt they are what OP is looking for.

This is also what I was reading - I'm not sure they would be interested in a non-Jew.

Anonymous wrote:Visit the Fauquier Jewish Congregation in Warrenton for Shabbat services, but don’t start with high holiday services, they are usually full and require tickets to attend. Better to start with a more low key service.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chabad will be happy to support serious interest in conversion, though it would be a long process, and OP might want to speak to them to see if they "click".

There are other paths. OP, you probably won't be surprised to learn that the area you live in is not full of Jews. And the version of Judaism youre likely to find out there is minimally connected to traditional Judaism. You may not be interested in traditional Judaism, but then you shouldn't be surprised down the road that more invested Jewish communities will not accept the legitimacy of a nontraditional conversion. Welcome to our community, but know we are kind of engaged in a fight over its soul over here and are probably heading for a major schism ourselves.

Could you elaborate on some of the issues that you think might be causing a rift?

I hate to sound crass here, but beggars can't be choosers, and if there are people in this world who are interested in converting then I don't think it makes much sense to either turn them away or not accept people who have converted.

I thought I had read something that said cheese by birth or strictly forbidden from treating Jews by conversion any differently?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chabad will be happy to support serious interest in conversion, though it would be a long process, and OP might want to speak to them to see if they "click".

There are other paths. OP, you probably won't be surprised to learn that the area you live in is not full of Jews. And the version of Judaism youre likely to find out there is minimally connected to traditional Judaism. You may not be interested in traditional Judaism, but then you shouldn't be surprised down the road that more invested Jewish communities will not accept the legitimacy of a nontraditional conversion. Welcome to our community, but know we are kind of engaged in a fight over its soul over here and are probably heading for a major schism ourselves.

Could you elaborate on some of the issues that you think might be causing a rift?

I hate to sound crass here, but beggars can't be choosers, and if there are people in this world who are interested in converting then I don't think it makes much sense to either turn them away or not accept people who have converted.

I thought I had read something that said cheese by birth or strictly forbidden from treating Jews by conversion any differently?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chabad has a wonderful website and a number of centers in the DMV. Amazing people!

Chabad is friendly if you were born a Jew and want to become more religious. Doubt they are what OP is looking for.

Not my experience at all. I’ve seen non-Jews treated very well there. In fact Chabad has a belief there are some non-Jews born with Jewish souls. Perhaps that is the pull OP is feeling?

Has this been your experience at a local synagogue? If so, would you mind sharing the name?

Not PP, but Chabad doesn't have synagogues or memberships. I haven't heard of that particular belief in Chabad about Jewish souls, though, and I'm skeptical. I do love Chabad, though. It is the least judgy and most welcoming of anything Jewish I've experienced. If anyplace is likely to be open to anyone, that's the place.

I found this:
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2613870/jewish/Jewish-Soul-in-a-Non-Jewish-Body.htm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chabad has a wonderful website and a number of centers in the DMV. Amazing people!

Chabad is friendly if you were born a Jew and want to become more religious. Doubt they are what OP is looking for.

Not my experience at all. I’ve seen non-Jews treated very well there. In fact Chabad has a belief there are some non-Jews born with Jewish souls. Perhaps that is the pull OP is feeling?

Has this been your experience at a local synagogue? If so, would you mind sharing the name?

Not PP, but Chabad doesn't have synagogues or memberships. I haven't heard of that particular belief in Chabad about Jewish souls, though, and I'm skeptical. I do love Chabad, though. It is the least judgy and most welcoming of anything Jewish I've experienced. If anyplace is likely to be open to anyone, that's the place.