If I wanted to convert to Judiasm, what would the process be like?

joepistole

joepistole

Deacon Blues
Valued Senior Member
What is the process for conversion to Juadism? Is conversion possible? If so, is it widely recognized in the Jewish community? Would conversion entitle me rights to citizenship in Israel? How long does the process take? Would my Jewish faith be as good as someone born into the religion?
 
My Grandmother converted from Catholicism. You have to see a Rabbi, and there is some studying to do. I don't think it's too hard, you just have to convince the Rabbi of your sincerity. As far as Israel, that's another matter. There's a good wikipedia entry on it. I think conversions are considered to carry less weight than being born into it, but marrying a Jew helps.
 
joepistole said:
What is the process for conversion to Juadism? Is conversion possible? If so, is it widely recognized in the Jewish community? Would conversion entitle me rights to citizenship in Israel? How long does the process take? Would my Jewish faith be as good as someone born into the religion?
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Painful...














if you haven't been circumcised.
 
joepistole said:
What is the process for conversion to Juadism? Is conversion possible? If so, is it widely recognized in the Jewish community? Would conversion entitle me rights to citizenship in Israel? How long does the process take? Would my Jewish faith be as good as someone born into the religion?
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The process contains learning;
- Hebrew Language
- Jewish Laws
- Jewish history

You'll need to know who the key figures were, the shallow understanding of the Torah, and show sincerity in your interest. Then after the sincerity wears off you'll have to show genuine effort to learn.


The entire Jewish community accepts converts by an Orthodox Rabbi. The hierarchy goes as following...you can't go up on the list only down. The conversions are more difficult towards the top.
Orthodox.
Chabad Hassidism
Conservative
Reform
The majority of practicing Jews are Orthodox.

Citizenship is delayed for at least 2 years, currently only Orthodox conversions are considered valid in Israel with a few exceptions.

The process length depends on you...there are certain things you need to know. If you can learn them in a year then good for you, but the Talmud tells a story of a woman who tried for 40 years. On average most people run between 1 and 3 years...but most people give up or lose interest first.

Despite what Spidergoat says, your faith will be equal to someone born into it. The only people who disagree with this are non-practitioners, because the only Jewish thing about them is there parents. The Orthodox community treats them as equals....however... It seems that a lot of converts never are quite able to fit in just right. Many never get to the point where you can't point them out, they don't understand the culture or attitude towards life. But I have seen it happen contrary as well.


You'd have to get circumcised, some don't though. There's another process that I am not going to go into detail. Spidergoat is also wrong about that. For people who didn't get the blessing said during there bris, there is a separate event where they just prick it and get a drop of blood then say the blessing. You're not considered in the covenant of Abraham without it.
 
spidergoat said:
I admit I don't know (or care) that much about it.
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I figured as much.

By the way...if your grandmother (Your mothers mother) converted, and your mother didn't practice and you surely aren't practicing. You might not be considered Lawfully Jewish.

I know a girl who has to get a reaffirmation to marry Jewish Orthodox. Because her mother didn't raise her fully Jewish. It's not like a full conversion.
 
joepistole said:
They don't need to do it with a ceremony and make sure it is kosher?
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If you're serious about becoming Jewish you'd better practice using the lingo right. Kosher applies only to food; the dietary laws are called the Kashruth. Once you've been Jewish for a couple of years and made them feel proud of taking the chance of accepting you into the community, then you can start making little jokes with Hebrew and Yiddish words. But not now.

All right, since no one else has asked: What is your reason for wanting to become Jewish? They're certainly going to ask that question. Most people do it because they're planning to marry a Jew.

Judaism isn't just a religion, it's an ethnicity. The Jews believe that they have a Covenant with God, which makes them his Chosen People. But wait, before you start celebrating. That Covenant thing has not been working out well for them at all. Apparently they just have not been able to keep it, and it makes God very angry. Jews don't believe in the God of the New Testament, the guy who took an anger management class and then sent down the First Hippie to teach everyone about Love and Peace. Their God still turns people into pillars of salt and would flood the entire planet again if he thought it would do any good.

Anyway, every bad thing that has ever happened to the Jews--from the exile in Egypt and the destruction of the Temple (more than once) to the Diaspora, the Holocaust and Great Britain's little practical joke of telling them they could have Palestine back but not telling them that some pesky Muslims thought it was their own homeland--are God's little reminders that the Jews have not held up their end of the bargain.

So when you agree to become a member of the Jewish community, you'll be telling GOD HIMSELF that from now on you want him to regard you as a Jew, and give you--AND YOUR CHILDREN and their children for all eternity--your fair share of the plagues, famines, wars and persecutions that he's got in store for his Chosen People in the future. This is one of the reasons the Jews don't take conversion lightly. It would not be fair to sign a Gentile up for that grief unless he was really sincere.

Are you sure you're up for this?
 
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Thanks for the information. I am not considering conversion at this time. But I am interested in the Jewish conversion process and the Jewish community. I think Judiasm is a mystery to a lot of folks. We know Christ was a Jew. We know Jews have been abused for thousands of years. But I think most folks don't know what it means to be Jewish. It is sort of a mystery for a lot of folks I think.
 
Fraggle Rocker said:
So when you agree to become a member of the Jewish community, you'll be telling GOD HIMSELF that from now on you want him to regard you as a Jew, and give you--AND YOUR CHILDREN and their children for all eternity--your fair share of the plagues, famines, wars and persecutions that he's got in store for his Chosen People in the future.
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Assuming any of that is even true! But that's a discussion for another thread.
 
joepistole, it's too bad you weren't here a year or so ago. There used to be a regular, an American living in Belgium, who converted to Judaism. He could have answered your questions. He read the Torah, in the original Hebrew, while doing LSD and without any aid in understanding one iota of it. He was fluent in Hebrew within ten months. His nervous system is really fucked up because of it.

I don't think you would have to do this to convert, though. He's a bit of a mental case. :)
 
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