Conversion - Building a Jewish Life

A photo of a hand holding a Star of David up to the golden sunset with the sun shining through the middle of the Magen David. Black text to the right says "The Convert Kehilla" and at the bottom white text says Building a Jewish Life.com.

Seeking more Jewish Community? Join the Convert Kehilla’s Rosh Chodesh Circle!

November 25, 2024

Are you a Jewish convert or conversion candidate seeking a warm and welcoming community? Look no further than The Convert Kehilla (“community,” roughly). Join our Rosh Chodesh Circle for the upcoming month of Kislev, dedicated to fostering connection, learning, and growth. For the first time in many years, I’m going to begin teaching live again. […]

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Photo of a dark-haired, light-skinned woman sitting against a wall, covering her face with her hands in a shameful way. Background is cream, she is dressed in a black sweater and blue jean pants. The text above reads "Imposter Syndrome in Jewish conversion."

Imposter Syndrome in Jewish Conversion

November 10, 2024

Imposter Syndrome is a term that many of us are familiar with nowadays, at least in the workplace. It’s the sneaky terrible feeling that “everyone else” has it figured out except you and you’re going to mess up and they’re all going to know you’re an imposter. The feeling of being a fraud, of not

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Graphic of a red-white-and-blue donkey and elephant facing off against each other on a light blue background underneath text that says "can politics ruin your Jewish conversion?" and the word politics is written in a scary font.

Can Politics Ruin Your Jewish Conversion?

November 4, 2024

Do your politics matter while converting to Judaism? No! (Yes, of course they do.) Should you be open about your politics while converting? Only you can answer that, but let’s give you some useful information to make that decision. Disclaimers! Lawyers love disclaimers, and I’m no exception. I’ve been a part of and visited more

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What to Expect the 1st Time You Attend Synagogue

February 21, 2023

So you’ve been reading books, scrolling social media, reading this blog…and you think you’re ready to go to a synagogue service for the first time. The mechanics and the level of “oh no what have I gotten myself into I am not ready for this” will be different between orthodox and non-orthodox services only because

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Reflections 11 Years Later

February 19, 2023

It’s been just over 11 years since I completed the orthodox conversion process that created this blog. What’s changed? What’s it like “on the other side”? Last month, I saw my conversion anniversary on the calendar and made a note in my planner. …And then I completely forgot about it until a week after the

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What Is a Chumrah and What Is Halacha

February 16, 2023

If you haven’t discovered it already, 2 Jews equals 3 opinions! And it is entirely possible for all of those opinions to be correct. How is that possible?? I’m Jewish, so I could give you 18 answers to that question. The best answer I can give you is that Judaism is not only NOT a

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Friendships When a Liberal Convert Goes Orthodox

January 9, 2019

I came across this question on social media again recently, and it has been a frequent concern over the years: “I converted in one Jewish movement and now want to convert orthodox. What will happen to my friendships and my relationship with my former rabbi(s)? Will they hate me? Am I betraying them?” First, I’ll

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Word of the Day: Ulpan

May 3, 2015

At some point in your orthodox journey, someone is going to suggest you go to ulpan. Another class and another thing to learn? Sounds great, but what’s ulpan? In short, it means modern Hebrew classes. But it’s more than that. It’s a particular style of teaching a foreign language through intense immersion and often with

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Conversion Candidates: The Child Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask

April 9, 2012

At the seder, the discussion always surrounds the rasha, the wicked child. We rarely discuss the other three children, and usually then, only to compare and contrast with the rasha. This year, I put a name to a long-standing part of myself: the child who doesn’t know how to ask the question. You can never

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What Does a Beit Din Do Besides Conversions?

April 4, 2012

Most of you are familiar with one thing batei din do in the modern world: convert people. But what else do they do? You’d be surprised. A beit din can do most of the things a secular court can, in addition to presiding over pure halachic issues. What doesn’t a beit din do? Hear criminal

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