Let’s be blunt – this shouldn’t have to be said, but here we are. If you’re in the middle of the Jewish conversion process and a rabbi asks you out (or does things that feel like dating)? That’s not okay.
The power imbalance in conversion is real, and it matters. You deserve safety, clarity, and respect – not coercion disguised as mentorship.
See transcript below.
Transcript:
You would be shocked how many times this comes up, but a rabbi should not ask you out on a date in the conversion process. Where it gets tricky is if they are asking you to do things that are date like and you feel that you are not allowed to say no. So if they’re inviting you alone to a dim romantic restaurant for meetings, that’s a red flag.
That’s bad. They should not do that. If for whatever reason this rabbi who is converting you wants to date you, they can do the right thing and they can wait until your conversion is done and you two can interact as peers as equals.
