Converting to Judaism

What is Judaism? Who are the Jews? How can one become Jewish? Why conversion to Judaism (or giur in Hebrew) is so difficult? Who were some famous Jewish converts? You will find answers to these questions and more in this article.

"The Jew - is the symbol of eternity. ... He is the one who for so long had guarded the prophetic message and transmitted it to all mankind. A people such as this can never disappear."

- Leo Tolstoy

Jews are one of the oldest surviving nations in the world .Even though Jews were subject to much persecution though the ages, there were many who sought to and have joined the Jewish people by conversion to Judaism.

Judaism is both a people and a religion. There are two ways to become Jewish: to be born of a Jewish mother, or to halachically (in accordance to the Jewish law) convert to Judaism.

Judaism is a monotheistic religion, based on the premise of revelation at Sinai. At Sinai, G-d revealed the Torah (five books of Moses) to the Jewish people. Jews believe that the revelation had two parts - the written Torah, and the oral Torah. The written Torah is what is known as five books of Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. (In Christianity, this book is also called the Old Testament, but Jews don't like to call it that - to them, Torah is eternal, and never "Old".)The oral Torah is the tradition on how to interpret the written Torah, and how to derive Jewish laws of life and conduct from the written Torah. For a long time the Oral Torah was passed down orally, and later written down as Talmud.The Torah influences and directs every aspect of a life of a Jew. It contains 613 commandments, or "mitzvot" in Hebrew, that Jews are divinely commanded to follow. Jews are called "the people of the book" - the book is Torah, also known as a Hebrew Bible, the best selling book of all time.

Halachic (according to the Jewish law) conversion to Judaism, or giur process, consists of several steps.

First, a potential convert (ger in Hebrew) undertakes a formal study program with a sponsoring rabbi. Once he or she is deemed ready, a Beit Din (a Jewish religious court of three males) is arranged, and a date is set.

Male converts have to undergo circumcision by the mohel, a ritual Jewish circumciser. If a male has already been circumcised, the ritual is reduced to drawing a symbolic drop of blood.

The conversion candidate appears before the Beit Din, where he or she is examined in the knowledge of Jewish Law, and probed in his or her sincerity.

Once the convert passes the Beit Din interview, he or she immerses in the ritual pool called mikvah, reciting two special blessings afterwards - one on the commandment to immerse in the mikvah, one of the gratitude to being brought to this day (she'hehiyanu blessing). The immersion is done with two witnesses.

Afterwards, the new convert is given a Hebrew name.

The process of converting to Judaism described above is complicated enough, but in practice, those seeking conversion to Judaism find that the road to becoming Jewish is long and full of obstacles.

Often, the process of conversion to Judaism takes several years from the beginnig to end.

There are several reasons why it is so difficult to convert to Judaism.

1. Judaism, unlike Christianity, is not a proselytizing religion. Judaism does not seek converts. At the times of Abraham Judaism did actively recruit converts. But ages of persecution have changed this tradition.

2. Rabbis are commanded to discourage and turn away a potential convert three times. Not all rabbis nowadays will follow this in all cases; but if a rabbi is not returning your phone calls, or postponing an initial meeting with no end date in sight, know that you have to persist. Most likely the rabbi is testing your determination and sincerity.

3. The religious and spiritual consequences of accepting an insincere convert are severe, both for a sponsoring rabbi, for the religious court (Beit Din), for the convert himself, and for the Jewish people.

4. Judaism doesn't believe that non-Jews will go to hell. Jews don't even believe in hell. In Judaism, we believe that righteous people of all the nations can have a relationship with God and will get their due reward in the afterlife. Thus, there is no added incentive to make a good Jew out of a good gentile just for the sake of it.

For a sincere convert, it is important to ensure that the conversion will be accepted by a wide variety of Jews. Judaism doesn't have a single governing body. Orthodox conversion is accepted by most, but it also matters what kind of an Orthodox Beit Din is chosen. It is important to do research beforehand and choose an established and reputable Beit Din, and seek a sponsoring Rabbi who is a member of such a Beit Din.

For completing conversion process, a traditional convert will not only have to change his or her whole life, but also sometimes will have to move. Before conversion, most rabbis will require that a potential convert will become a part of a Jewish community, and will go through at least one year (one full cycle) of Jewish holidays in such a community. Jewish learning opportunities necessary for conversion also abound in Jewish communities. If a potential proselyte lives outside such a community, he or she will have to move to complete the conversion.

Since Jews are not actively seeking converts, and it is not a rabbi's job to attract non-jews to the religion, the onus is on the convert to push the process along. One has to have persistence and patience. The convert will have to seek out a sponsoring rabbi, to arrange an acceptable study program under the rabbi's supervision, to prod the rabbi to arrange a Beit Din date once he or she is ready.

Sometimes there are special circumstances to the conversion.

There is a "sofek" conversion - "sofek" means doubt - a potential convert might suspect matrilineal Jewish descent, but have no formal proof. If he or she wishes to be recognized as a Jew, he or she might undergo the conversion procedure for the case of doubt.

There are those who descended from the Jews forcibly converted to Christianity. There are many names for them - marranos, anusim (meaning "unwilling ones"), bnai anusim (sons of anusim), conversos, crypto-Jews... Many families have observed Jewish customs for generations, in secret. If their descendants wish to return to Judaism they undergo a process that is the same as a halachic conversion. Sometimes whole communities return to Judaism en masse.

Sometimes a child of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother wishes to become Jewish according to Jewish law. Often those children are raised with Jewish customs and identity, and this is a natural step towards being recognized by all the Jews for what they feel like they are already. There are rabbis that feel that those potential converts have special status as "seed of Israel", and encourage them in the conversion process, and make it easier.

If a potential proselyte is in a relationship or is married to a non-Jew, it presents special difficulties for conversion process. If a partner or a spouse are not interested in converting to Judaism also, most traditional or Orthodox rabbis will not perform a conversion. A convert takes upon him or herself observance of Jewish commandments and laws, and those laws don't allow intermarriage.

If two spouses convert together, after the conversion they become two Jews who are not married to each other according to the Jewish law - so they have to have another wedding, a Jewish marriage. 

If a parent or a whole family converts, children can also undergo the conversion process. Another case where a child might be converted is when a gentile child is adopted by a Jewish family. In this case, when a child becomes adult according to the Jewish law, at the girls Bat Mitzvah or the boy's Bar Mitzvah, they can denounce their conversion if they don't wish to remain Jews.

Living a Jewish life is not easy. It may be rewarding and full of joy, but it is also full of challenges and difficulties. A spiritual explorer might be attracted to Judaism, but after learning more about it, or even starting on a path to conversion, can realize that this life is not what he or she is seeking. Jews are called "chosen" people, but they are chosen to carry more obligations in their service to God.

Judaism believes that every person, Jew and gentile alike, can be righteous, have a relationship with Hashem (literally "the Name", how Jews refer to God), and receive a reward in the World to Come. To have a relationship with the Creator, one does not have to be Jewish. 

In the Torah, there are laws for Jews, and there are laws for righteous Gentiles. They are called Seven Noahide Laws, and there is a Noahide movement of people who believe in the laws of Torah but do not wish to become Jewish. Here are some good resources about the Laws of Noah and the Noahide movement:

"Make yourself a teacher", we read in Pirkei Avot (Wisdom of the Fathers, one of the books of Mishnah).

Religious study is a part of living a Jewish life. After completing conversion process, a convert continues on a lifelong study program. It is important to choose a religious mentor or a teacher. In our days, there are plenty of study opportunities available in Jewish communities. There are daily, weekly, Shabbat study groups, programs, lectures for men and women, for all levels of learning. There are many audio and video lessons available over the internet, and there are programs of learning with a partner by phone or on Skype.

A convert chooses his or hers Hebrew name, given to him during conversion ceremony. One doesn't have to change their name officially, or become known by a new name among friends and family. Although some converts do choose to be called and known by their new Hebrew name, either in the Jewish community, with the new acquantainces, or across the board.

Hebrew or Jewish name is used in prayers - Jews pray for somebody using their Hebrew name. It is used in calling a person to the Torah, in marriage and other religious ceremonies.

Hebrew name consists of two parts. First name (which could be one or more names, like first and middle name in America), and a patronymic part - "son of" or "daughter of" part of the name. For example, Moshe ben Avraham- Moshe son of Avraham.

Traditionally, convert's second part of the Hebrew name is "ben Avraham Avinu" or "ben Sara Imenu" (son of Avraham our father or son of Sara our mother) for men, and "bat Avraham Avinu" or "bat Sarah Imenu" (daughter of Avraham our father or daughter of Sara our mother) for women. When using the name, often "imenu" and "avinu" parts are omitted - if a convert doesn't want to publicize the fact of his or her conversion.

In most circumstances, such as Jewish legal documents such as a wedding contract, only the father's name is used in the full name, like in "Moshe ben Avraham", or "Miriam bat Avraham".

When praying for someone gravely ill or in trouble, only mother's part of the full name is used, like in "Moshe ben Sara", or "Miriam bat Sara".

Usually in choosing the first name the convert has a lot of freedom; although the Beit Din presiding over the conversion can change of adjust the selected name on spiritual reasons.

Some converts choose Hebrew names similar to their given names, or starting with the same letter as their given name, or having the same meaning in Hebrew as their given name. Some choose a name that is meaningful to them, or just a name they like.

Converts are special in Judaism. Many times in the text of Torah the commandment to treat a convert, a widow, an orphan with extra kindness is repeated. Converts elicit genuine admiration from many observant Jews. Convert's Jewish family - his parents - are forefather Avraham and foremother Sarah themselves.

There are some aspects of Jewish religious law that apply to converts. There were twelve Jewish tribes; nowadays only members of the tribe of Levi, and the descendants of Aharon the High Priest know their lineage (they are Leviim and Cohanim, and still retain some special functions in Jewish rituals). The rest of the Jews are called "Israelites" - the convert is also an "Israelite", since to be a Levi or Cohen one must be a son of a Levi or Cohen - tribal affiliation is by patrilineal descent.

Female converts cannot marry a Cohen. They also don't have the ceremony of Pidyon Haben (redemption of the firstborn) if their firstborn child is a boy.

In Jewish law, it is forbidden to remind a convert of their non-Jewish past. Some Jews are not aware of this law or are too curious. But a ger is not supposed to be asked about their story if they don't wish to talk about it. Many converts don't like to publicize the fact of their conversion, especially if many years have passed - and they don't have to tell!

In Judaism, we believe that all the Jewish souls were present at the Mount Sinai during revelation. Every soul that was meant to be Jewish, including the souls of converts, were there. So if a person has converted to Judaism, they were meant to be a Jew, from the very beginning. During conversion process, a proselyte gets transformed on the spiritual level and gets a Jewish soul.

There are many famous people who converted to Judaism throughout history.

The very first Jews - Sarah and Avraham - didn't go through a formal conversion process we have today, but they realized the existence of one God and became his servants as adults.

Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, was another famous convert in the Bible. Her story is detailed in the Book of Ruth.

Moses' wife Tzipporah (Zipporah) and his father-in-law Yitro (Jethro) were other famous biblical converts.

Here are a few famous contemporary Jewish converts:

Sammy Davis Jr.

Marilyn Monroe

Elizabeth Taylor

Ivanka Trump

In this section you will find a summary of Hebrew terms used in this article, with translations and explanations.

Anusim - forced ones

Bar Mitzvah - age of Jewish adulthood for a boy (13), also the celebration

Bat - daughter

Bat Mitzvah - age of Jewish adulthood for a girl (12), also the celebration

Beit Din - Jewish religious court of three males

Ben - son

Cohen - a member of Jewish priestly lineage, a male line descendant of Aharon

Ger, giyoret, giur - male convert, female convert, conversion

Halacha - Jewish religious law

Hashem - G-d (literally, "the Name")

Levi - a male line descendant of Levi, a member of the tribe of Levi

Mikvah - Jewish ritual pool

Mishnah - first reduction of the Oral Law, part of the Talmud

Mitzvah, mitzvot - commandment, commandments

Mohel - Jewish ritual circumciser

Pirkei Avot - Ethics of Our Fathers, a part of Mishnah

Sofek - doubt

Torah - five books of Moses