Original story: DiCaprio May Convert to Judaism for Love. Beside the fact that converting to a religion simply to marry a person sounds like a recipe for disaster, what do you think about this? My initial response was “DIBS!” but then I remembered that I’m not a DiCaprio fan. It was my automatic female response. […]
How NOT to teach a convert or BT to pray in Hebrew
Dear creators of resources that teach people to pray in Hebrew: I have some problems with your products, and I would like to discuss them. Let’s begin at the beginning. If I am coming to your CD/book or website to get help learning to pray in Hebrew, it’s very likely that I either a) Do […]
Convert Issues: Going Back to the Basics
My biggest hurdle in becoming orthodox has been going back to the basics. Most converts who’ve already gone through one conversion feel like we know stuff. We’re not newbies, so why are we back at the beginning?? It can be incredibly frustrating and ego-busting. Even new converts can be incredibly frustrated by suddenly feeling like […]
Liberal Conversion: The Gateway Drug
It seems that most orthodox converts you meet are also liberal Jewish converts. When we liberal converts begin an orthodox conversion, we all seem to think we’re crazy to be going from a liberal movement to orthodoxy. But no, you’re certainly not alone. I had the great pleasure to meet with an amazing rabbi who […]
Convert Confessions: Why I’m Not Afraid of the Shidduch Crisis
Didn’t you know there’s a shidduch crisis going on? Young women are turning 22 without finding a suitable husband! I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf known as the shidduch crisis. For the uninitiated, what’s a shidduch crisis? Shidduch means “a good match,” and today, people say that everyone over ___ age (depends on […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Dating Convert Edition
I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful Shabbat! I’m not feeling so well again, so my Shabbat is probably going to consist of a book and my bed! But now to my weekly ramble… (since that’s so different from what I normally post! Hah!) On the Aish website, there is a running series […]
Rule #42 of Orthodox Conversion: There ARE Double Standards. Get Used to It.
One common problem for the newly-observant conversion candidate is when another “orthodox Jew” doesn’t do what you’ve been taught “the law” is. Or worse, the first time you see an “orthodox Jew” drive to synagogue on Shabbat. We get so upset – “How come that person can still call himself orthodox? And why am I […]
A Good Piece of Advice for All Converts
A rabbi gave me a great piece of advice about how to respond when someone inevitably gets upset about something (which usually has nothing to do with you anyway) and says something like, “I was born Jewish, what do you know?” or “Who is a convert to tell me how to be Jewish?” The answer? […]
Rule #1 of Conversions: You Can’t Hide that You’re a Convert
You cannot hide that you are a convert. Whatever their reasons may be, I’ve known many converts/conversion candidates who adamantly felt that it was no one’s business if they are converts and that no one has the right to ask them if they are a convert. That’s all well and good, but they’re still going […]
Adventures in Semantics: Jew-by-Choice v. Convert
Am I the only one who thinks “Jews-by-Choice” is an unnecessary term? What’s so wrong with being a “convert”? For some reason, I like it, despite not really having another religion to convert “from.” At a minimum, I don’t see what’s wrong with the term convert or why some people are so opposed to it, […]