CONSIDERING CONVERSION?
You are interested in converting. What now? The conversion process usually takes about a year. During that time you will study on your own and with the Rabbi, attend classes, observe the cycle of Jewish holidays and observances, and attend Friday night services on a regular basis. Your first step is to call the temple office to make an appointment to meet with Rabbi Gwasdoff.
It is helpful to keep a journal from the time you first decide to begin this process. It will be helpful to you to make notes on what you read and study and also to note your feelings and those of your family and friends.
You've probably already started reading about Judaism. Here are some suggested books:
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After you've completed the year of study, you will go to the Mikvah, the ritual bath, and participate in a Beit Din. The Beit Din is a meeting with the rabbi and two knowledgeable members of our congregation during which you will discuss the process of conversion you have undertaken, and your desire to be Jewish. You will then be formally welcomed into the Jewish people at a joyous conversion ceremony.
The Outreach Committee at Temple Israel plans and implements programs of interest to interfaith families, to those considering and in the process of conversion, to recent Jews-by-Choice and to the Jewish community as a whole. Our goal is to enable all members of our congregation to feel connected to Jewish life and to our Temple Israel community through participation in educational, social and spiritual experiences. The Hebrew word for stranger is ger. It is our sincere hope that our efforts will make the often difficult path of being a stranger smoother until the ger is no longer a stranger.
If you are a new Jew-by-Choice or new to our community, please call our outreach coordinator to ask about our mentoring program.
Please check the Outreach Section in our library for books of special interest to interfaith families and those considering and completing conversion.
The Union of Reform Judaism has several sites to help those considering convesion.
- Q&A. This is a list of questions and answers about Judaism
- 1st person These are first person accounts of those who have become Jews-by-Choice
InterfaithFamily.com The online resource for interfaith families exploring Jewish life and the grass-roots advocate for a welcoming Jewish community. This resource is for everyone touched by Christian-Jewish intermarriage and every other kind of interfaith relationship, on every topic of interest to them, and for everyone who works with and cares about them.