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Becoming Jewish Without Questioning Your Sanity

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UPDATED: The Factors to Consider When Choosing to Convert

According to me, there are three major considerations when choosing where/how to convert. These three guideposts should help you decide a) the movement you want to convert with and then b) the community/rabbi/beit din you want to convert with. a) How you feel about your conversion. At the end of the day, this should be […]

Convert Rants: Discouraging the Conversion Candidate

Everyone hears that a rabbi “has” to discourage a conversion candidate 3 times. Some rabbis don’t hold by that at all. Some do exactly three and then will begin a congenial conversion learning process. Some may or may not obviously discourage before working with you, but will continue to discourage you regularly and to varying […]

What Is a Hebrew Name, and What Does It Do?

A commenter had a great question, and I decided to write about it in a longer form and make it accessible to the rest of you! Basically, what is the point of a Hebrew name? When, where, and why is it used? First, what is a Hebrew name? At its most basic, it’s your Jewish […]

Shabbat Shalom! What to Do When People Are Crazy

Some people might think this is a downer of a Shabbat shalom post, but it was certainly liberating for me! Quite simply, other people’s problems are just that: other people’s problems. I don’t worry about people who don’t follow halacha (or follow it differently) or judge me as a convert or any of that other […]

Convert Questions: How to Choose a Hebrew Name

Choosing a Hebrew name can be the hardest part of your official conversion process. After all, you have to live with it for only the rest of your LIFE. Some people make it their everyday name. Or even adopt it as their legal first or middle name. And some people never use them ever again […]

The Conversion Mikvah Visit in a Nutshell

Every conservative and orthodox convert (and an exponentially increasing number of reform converts) will go to the mikvah (also spelled mikveh) to complete the conversion. Just in case no one has spelled it out explicitly for you, emerging from the mikvah is when you actually become “Jewish.” For a more mystical perspective, some say the […]

What to Do If You Question the Validity of Your Conversion

I know what more of you are thinking: Who in their right mind would do that?? I have yet to see anyone anywhere discuss this topic: what if you question the validity of your own conversion? Quite frankly, that’s everything converts want to avoid! The LAST thing a convert wants is someone else to question his […]

Status Wars: Not Nearly as Fun as Star Wars

There is a Status War going on in the world. People who have become religious later in life (either as baalei teshuva or converts) are having a very difficult time proving that they are, in fact, Jewish. Personally, as painful as the conversion process can be, I think the baalei teshuva have it worse. Thanks […]

A Response to a Very Good Question: Why Not Fake It ‘Til You Make It?

I saw a great question about conversions. I decided to post the question and my answer to that question here because I think that’s a struggle the overwhelming majority of orthodox converts face at some point in their process. How would you respond? THE QUESTION: Not to risk offending anybody, but I’d be curious as […]

A Milestone: 100 Blog Posts!

It seems like I started this blog yesterday! Yet here we are, 100 blog posts in! I hope you’ve all enjoyed my blog as much as I’ve enjoyed writing for you! I hope you’ve found it comforting, funny, and useful. After all, conversion/becoming observant shouldn’t be as soul-crushing and humorless as some people would like […]