NOTE: The Kvetching Editor wrote a response to this post here. I just want to point out that her situation is not what I’m describing. I’m talking about a single who enters the orthodox conversion process and then begins dating people who are already orthodox. However, for the record, I think dating is probably a bad idea […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Good News Edition :)
I’ve been a bit of a negative Nancy lately, so here is some good conversion news for you: North American Rabbis Protest Conversion Policy. Sure, the rabbis have rallied to protect all orthodox converts’ rights to make aliyah, but I’m more skeptical that such a rabbinic “uprising” would happen as a way to pressure the […]
My First Shabbat Kallah
What’s a Shabbat Kallah? It’s a celebration for the bride on the Shabbos afternoon before her wedding day. In some ways, it’s like a frum bachelorette party. (Note that there may also be a “normal” bachelorette party with the bride and her girlfriends!) I went to my first Shabbat Kallah last month, and it was a very […]
Convert Questions: What Does Hatafat Dam Brit Feel Like?
(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 […]
UPDATED: How to Interview a New Jewish Community
Happy Half-Priced Candy Day! Now on to business… During conversion, you feel like you’re the one always being interviewed. And you are. But at some point, maybe even during your conversion, you’ll also get to interview someone: the rabbis and congregants of a new community. Hopefully you have a selection of communities! Even if not, […]
When Is It OK to Say “I’m Jewish,” Even If You Really Aren’t?
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) […]
A Blogger Tries to Understand the Convert and Baal Teshuva Communities
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 […]
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 […]
Thought of the Day
For your (hopefully) lazy Sunday enjoyment, here is a great quote I heard in a recorded shiur a few weeks ago while driving cross-country. Unfortunately, I don’t remember which shiur it came from! Since I listened to over 30 hours of them, I’m not going to go through all of them to locate two sentences. […]
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 […]
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