If you’re just starting your journey, or feeling stuck in the middle of it, you’ve probably wondered: how long is this going to take? In this quick video, I break down what most rabbis mean when they talk about timelines – and why anyone promising a shortcut might be a red flag.
Real talk, no fear-mongering. Just the clarity you deserve.
Find the transcript below.
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Transcript:
How long does it take to convert to Judaism?
It took me over seven years to convert Orthodox.
First, when are you counting from? That first moment you said, “holy crap, am I really doing this?” Or your first meeting with a rabbi or your first meeting with a beit din?
Most rabbis are gonna measure approximately from your first meeting with a rabbi.
Which is why you shouldn’t drag your feet about actually doing that first meeting with a rabbi.
I can’t tell you how long your specific conversion will take, but in general, conversions take at least one year regardless of Jewish movement / denomination.
They want you to experience a full cycle of the Jewish year. Not a crazy request, right?
If someone is promising you a conversion in less than a year, either you’ve got a lot of money and power, or you’re dating someone who has a lot of money and power. Or more likely the child of someone who has a lot of money and power,
… or someone’s trying to make a quick buck off you.
If you want a conversion that people will respect, someone promising you a conversion in less than a year is a big red flag.
And again, that applies regardless of movement.
But an orthodox conversion usually takes a minimum of two years.
Some religious courts (batei din) have explicit rules that you cannot convert in less than two years, no matter what.
So again, don’t put off that first meeting with the rabbis.
If you converted, how long did it take you?
How long did it take for me? As you say, a lot depends on what gets defined as the beginning and the end of that process. From being interviewed to become a formal conversion candidate to passing my Beit Din (in a non-orthodox movement), 18 months. From the first thought of “might I want to convert to Judaism”? to my first aliyah, over ten years. In general terms, I feel that a focus on speed is deeply misplaced, even in non-orthodox movements. Even if yeshiva-level halachic knowledge is not a requirement in your movement, it is important to be clear that becoming Jewish means entering a decidedly non-mainstream cultural, intellectual and spiritual universe, in which you want to be comfortable. If your movement leaves it to your own judgement to deviate from halacha, you want to know your “why”, to make sure that your decisions still resonate with your own interpretation of Jewish tradition, instead of just feeling like a bad Jew. You will have a MUCH happier Jewish life in the long run if you don’t hurry through that process.
So. Well. Said. Thank you!!