For those of you following the conversion/aliyah issues with Israel and the greater Jewish community, you may want to check out yesterday’s blog post at On the Fringe-Al Tzitzit, Conversion Crisis Update: the New Jewish “Papacy.” I won’t express an opinion on the content (or maybe my jury is still out?), but I did particularly […]
A Non-Orthodox Response to the Current Orthodox Conversion Issues Read Post »
Frequent commenter Elle at On Becoming Devoted has written a post called The Reality of Conversion. I suggest that you all read it for another convert’s perspective on today’s orthodox conversion process! However, she focuses more on the after-conversion concerns, which can be just as painful (if not more so) than the initial conversion. I
(Hatafat dam brit is the “drop of blood” drawn from an already-circumcised male as part of his conversion. It is the “completion” of brit milah, if you look at it as completing the original circumcision.) This is a question that gets bantered around a lot, but no one gives an answer. I asked around and
Convert Questions: What Does Hatafat Dam Brit Feel Like? Read Post »
You’ve already heard that conversion is like falling in love. But you may not know that getting an orthodox conversion can sometimes be like an abusive relationship. In a cosmic sign that I can’t escape this topic this week, Frum Satire posted yesterday “Stop Screwing with the Converts Already!“ The world Jewish community and Jewish
The Monster that Orthodox Conversion Has Become Read Post »
In continuation of a previous post (Reason #84 You Know You’re Crazy: Orthodox Conversion is EXPENSIVE!), here is the second edition of a possibly-indefinite series of posts warning you how horribly expensive orthodox conversion is (not “can be,” IS). I had meeting #2 with the beit din, and here is a breakdown of all the
Conversion is Expensive, Part II Read Post »
Of course, the cop-out, generic answer is always, “It depends on the person.” It also depends on the “thing.” Let’s start by talking about a couple of things, and then we can continue the discussion in the comments if you want to talk about other Jewish items! Jewelry: Personally, I think anyone can wear Jewish
UPDATED: When Can a Conversion Candidate Begin Wearing Jewish “Things”? Read Post »
If you’re like most people, you haven’t really thought about this question. But yes, there are times when you will be asked if you are Jewish, and you should answer a simple “Yes,” even if you’ve had no conversion. (And even if you’ve taken no formal steps at all!) Here are the usual suspects: a)
When Is It OK to Say “I’m Jewish,” Even If You Really Aren’t? Read Post »
Do you ever get tunnel vision? Apparently I do. And I did when I wrote Convert Questions: Converts and Aliyah. Let’s summarize that post quickly: There are two times where your “Jewish” status matters when making aliyah to Israel: (1) for the Rabbinate (orthodox converts only, and even then it’s not a given) and (2)
Update on Converts and Aliyah: Reviewing the Law of Return Read Post »
I don’t actually have an official post for today. Just checking in on the personal level. Tomorrow I take a 24 hour trip to meet with the full beit din for the first time. As you can imagine, I’m a wee bit nervous. But more than that, I’m annoyed with myself. I realized that I’ve
Since I started blogging, I don’t get to keep up with reading other blogs as much as I would like. The overwhelming side-effect of blogging is that now I’ve discovered literally over 50 new blogs that I would love to read in addition to the 15ish I used to read religiously. School and work have
A Blogger Tries to Understand the Convert and Baal Teshuva Communities Read Post »