Being Jewish
Judaism is the oldest of the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). All of which believe in there being just one G-d (monotheism). Indeed, both Christianity and Islam include the Hebrew Bible as part of their religious scriptures, as well as incorporating some Hebrew psalms, beliefs and traditions.
Jews do not seek to convert anyone to their faith.
Judaism believes that any good person will find favour with G-d, you don’t need to be Jewish for this.
Uniquely, Jews are both a ‘people’ and a religion; or to put it another way … Jews are a people who follow a specific religion.
Although Jews have spread across the world (predominantly as a result of persecution) we all have one ethnic root in the Land of Israel, dating back over 4,000 years.
This means that anyone seeking to become Jewish will be taking on a history, a culture and lifestyle that has evolved over thousands of years (and which varies according to what part of the world you look at), plus religious faith and practice.
It also means you will be taking on the negative aspects of being Jewish, such as being discriminated against as part of a Racial or Ethnic Minority (anti-Jewish racism, also referred to as antisemitism).
And of course being Jewish is not the easiest thing, even if you are born a Jew, as we are guided by the 613 Mitzvot. These guide Jewish life and are strictly adhered to. The most well know are the Ten Commandments, but they extend into all parts of our daily lives, as well as some more specific circumstances.
This includes all the rules around what we can and cannot eat, and how food is prepared; you may have heard of Kosher foods, and this is what that refers to. Jews have the most proscriptive set of rules in the world that dictate our dietary restrictions.
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Converting to Judaism is not easy
It can involve 1-3 years or more of study & preparation, depending on the individual, and many lifestyle changes, which could include moving home to be near a Jewish community.
Becoming a Jew is not just a religious change: the convert not only accepts the Jewish faith, but becomes a member of the Jewish People and embraces Jewish culture and history.
Conversion and Jewish law
Conversion to Judaism is a process governed by Jewish religious law. Conversions are overseen by a religious court, which must be convinced that the convert:
- is sincere
- is converting for the right reasons
- is converting of their own free will
- has a thorough knowledge of Jewish faith and practices
- will live an observant Jewish life
There are also two ritual requirements:
- a male convert must undergo circumcision - if they are already circumcised, a single drop of blood is drawn as a symbolic circumcision
- the convert must undergo immersion in a Jewish ritual bath, a mikveh, with appropriate prayers
Judaism and conversion:
Judaism is not a missionary faith and does not seek to try to convert people.
A person who converts to Judaism becomes a Jew in every sense of the word, and is just as Jewish as someone born into Judaism.
There is a good precedent for this; Ruth, the great-great grandmother of King David, was a convert.
NOTE: Not all Jewish conversions are accepted by all Jews.
The more Orthodox a community is the less likely it is to accept a conversion done in a more liberal movement.
Orthodox Jews usually don't accept the validity of conversions done by non-Orthodox institutions - because many Orthodox Jewish communities do not accept that non-Orthodox rabbis have valid rabbinical status.
Why convert?
The most common reasons put forward are:
- because the person believes the faith and culture of the Jewish people is right for them
- in order to marry someone Jewish
- in order to bring up children with a Jewish identity
Only the first of these should be accepted as the true reason for conversion - the convert must have an overpowering wish to join the Jewish people and share in their destiny, and be committed to loving God and following his wishes as expressed in the Torah.
There is no other reason that can enable a person to truly enter the covenant between God and the Jewish people, and do it freely, without reservation, forever, and to the exclusion of all other faiths.
How to convert
Different forms of Judaism have different conversion mechanisms, but this outline of what is involved covers the basics for all:
- discuss possible conversion with a rabbi
- study Jewish beliefs, history, rituals and practices
- learn some Hebrew
- get involved with Jewish community life
- believe in G-d and the divinity of the Torah
- agree to observe all 613 mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah
- agree to live a fully Jewish life
- circumcision (men only)
- immersion in a mikveh or ritual bath
- appear before a Bet Din (a religious court) and obtain their approval
Talking to the rabbi
Conversion to Judaism is not something to be done lightly. The rabbi will want to make sure that the person really wants to convert, and that they know what they're doing.
Some rabbis used to test would-be converts by turning them away three times, in order to see how sincere and determined they are. This is unusual nowadays.
If a person doesn't know any rabbis to discuss conversion with, they probably haven't got close enough to Judaism and Jewish life to be thinking of converting. They should start by talking to Jewish people, and attending some synagogue services.
The rabbi asks the would-be convert a lot of questions - not just as a test of their sincerity, but in order to help the convert form a clear understanding of what they want to do:
- Why do you want to convert?
- What do you know about Judaism?
- Are you converting of your own free will?
- Have you discussed conversion with your family?
- Will you accept Judaism as your only religious faith and practice?
- Will you enter into the covenant between God and the Jewish people?
- Will you bring up your children as Jews?
- Are you willing to study in order to convert?
- Will you live as a member of the Jewish people?
Studying
Would-be converts study Jewish beliefs, rituals, history, culture (including some Hebrew) and customs.
They do this through courses, or by individual study with a rabbi. At the same time they will start going to services, joining in home practices (with members of their local community) and taking part in synagogue life.
More information about Orthodox Conversion:
http://www.theus.org.uk/article/conversion-2
More information about Reform Conversion:
- http://www.wls.org.uk/conversion
- http://www.reformjudaism.org/practice/lifecycle-and-rituals/conversion
This article is based on one originally published on the BBC website