Any other questions?

--- In proselytecentral@yahoogroups.com, "rawknroll_outlaw" <james-cohen@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello everyone!
>
> Some of the questions I have regarding conversion is how you will be treated
afterwards.

Usually when a Mischling converts, s/he is accepted as 100% Jewish from the
start.  This is due to a combination of factors, including that many Mischlingin
have Jewish surnames, "Jewish looks", and already know some of the Shiboleths.

When it comes to someone with no Jewish parents, it is sometimes more difficult.
There are many cultural differences and there is much to learn.  As a rule, the
more religious (not only orthodox, but the more practicing a non-orthodox)
someone is the more accepting s/he will be of converts.  There is always the
possibility that you will run into a crazy person who will question your
conversion, usually one who cares little for his/her own Judaism.

--- In proselytecentral@yahoogroups.com, "rawknroll_outlaw" <james-cohen@...>
wrote:
>
> Hello everyone!
>
> Some of the questions I have regarding conversion is how you will be treated
afterwards. I keep hearing mixed things from people. I hope I don't sound
offensive, but I do not want to always be considered a convert. My father is
Jewish, and raised me in that manner, and all my. And in the circles I use to be
a part of that really didn't matter. All my life I have considered myself a jew
from birth. However, I understand that technically I am not Jewish because my
mother is not Jewish. And I guess for whatever reason that really troubles me.
>
> What has been the experience of those who have converted, have you been
accepted into your Jewish communities?
>
> Also, I would like to convert Orthodox, but I do not have the means to move to
an area where I can walk to shul on the sabbath. I have looked at a Traditional
synagogue, or what some would call Conservadox. If I converted here, would I be
considered orthodox or conservative?
>
> Thank you in advance for your help.
>

Hello everyone!

Some of the questions I have regarding conversion is how you will be treated
afterwards. I keep hearing mixed things from people. I hope I don't sound
offensive, but I do not want to always be considered a convert. My father is
Jewish, and raised me in that manner, and all my. And in the circles I use to be
a part of that really didn't matter. All my life I have considered myself a jew
from birth. However, I understand that technically I am not Jewish because my
mother is not Jewish. And I guess for whatever reason that really troubles me.

What has been the experience of those who have converted, have you been accepted
into your Jewish communities?

Also, I would like to convert Orthodox, but I do not have the means to move to
an area where I can walk to shul on the sabbath. I have looked at a Traditional
synagogue, or what some would call Conservadox. If I converted here, would I be
considered orthodox or conservative?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hatimah Tovah to all

Wonderful news.  May the New Year bring a New Spirit to you and your family.  A
spirit of holiness, a spirit of happiness.  May there never again be a reason
for Dean to be encarcerated.

--- In proselytecentral@yahoogroups.com, "Angela Hansen" <leerwolfone@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Thank you for your prayers for justice, understanding, and compassion!
> Our family has been blessed with the return of Dean and reunification of
> our family! He will be released tomorrow. G-d works miracles. We are
> elated. Dean will not be on ankle monitor so we will get to enjoy walks
> in the woods, mushroom picking, berries, watching the wildlife, the
> outdoors are still warm and comforting home cooked fall holiday meals.
> We're being rewarded with a fresh change in our lives; a beautiful
> opportunity. We will be free to enjoy going to movies, out to dinner,
> and keep each other warm and happy. A new start on life. Thank you for
> supporting us and all of your prayers that were so generously answered.
>
> He will be home for Shabbat tomorrow evening and for the High Holidays
> of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; holidays with a powerful importance on
> judgment (self-assessment), reflection, redemption, letting go of
> grudges, and forgiving people and asking for forgiveness from those who
> have been wronged. It's a time to reflect on how to change for the
> better and to make those changes stick (the High Holiday is not just
> resolutions it MEANS it literally to change: To wipe the slate and start
> over. It is about a new beginning in life for change for the good. It is
> the Jewish New Year which is not some big drunken party. It is solemn
> and serious worship and concrete changes for the rest of our lives. So
> much optimism. We're in this together to support each other in life's
> new changes for the better. We have truly been blessed. Thank you
> everyone. G-d Bless You, your families, and your friends.
>
> Dean and Angela Hansen
> Ba'al and eesha back together again (husband and wife reunited)
>
> Shalom (peace and good blessings to you)
>   21 Elul 5769  L'Shanah Tovah (Happy New Year)
> *
>    Elul, Selichot (in Hebrew)
>

Wonderful news.  May the New Year bring a New Spirit to you and your family.  A
spirit of holiness, a spirit of happiness.  May there never again be a reason
for Dean to be encarcerated.

--- In proselytecentral@yahoogroups.com, "Angela Hansen" <leerwolfone@...>
wrote:
>
>
> Thank you for your prayers for justice, understanding, and compassion!
> Our family has been blessed with the return of Dean and reunification of
> our family! He will be released tomorrow. G-d works miracles. We are
> elated. Dean will not be on ankle monitor so we will get to enjoy walks
> in the woods, mushroom picking, berries, watching the wildlife, the
> outdoors are still warm and comforting home cooked fall holiday meals.
> We're being rewarded with a fresh change in our lives; a beautiful
> opportunity. We will be free to enjoy going to movies, out to dinner,
> and keep each other warm and happy. A new start on life. Thank you for
> supporting us and all of your prayers that were so generously answered.
>
> He will be home for Shabbat tomorrow evening and for the High Holidays
> of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; holidays with a powerful importance on
> judgment (self-assessment), reflection, redemption, letting go of
> grudges, and forgiving people and asking for forgiveness from those who
> have been wronged. It's a time to reflect on how to change for the
> better and to make those changes stick (the High Holiday is not just
> resolutions it MEANS it literally to change: To wipe the slate and start
> over. It is about a new beginning in life for change for the good. It is
> the Jewish New Year which is not some big drunken party. It is solemn
> and serious worship and concrete changes for the rest of our lives. So
> much optimism. We're in this together to support each other in life's
> new changes for the better. We have truly been blessed. Thank you
> everyone. G-d Bless You, your families, and your friends.
>
> Dean and Angela Hansen
> Ba'al and eesha back together again (husband and wife reunited)
>
> Shalom (peace and good blessings to you)
>   21 Elul 5769  L'Shanah Tovah (Happy New Year)
> *
>    Elul, Selichot (in Hebrew)
>

Now that we are just 30 days from Rosh Hashanah and 40 from Yom Kippur it would
be a good idea for our members and friends who might be new to Judaism to
familiarize themselves with the High Holy Days in terms of practices and
observances.

For those who are new, you might consider purchasing the Art Scroll Machzorim
for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and read through the services.  I suggest this
work even to the non-Orthodox because it has some of the best notes available.

Ask your friends what specific customs your synagogue has in terms of the
services. Later this month, check on the times of services and if you should
purchase seats.

Shanah tovah to all

I wish all our members an easy fast.

http://www.aish.com/literacy/mitzvahs/Surveillance.asp

As Shavout is this Friday, it is necessary to make an Erev Tavshilin on Thursday
afternoon in order to cook for Shabbat.

We seem to have been rather quiet for the past few months.  Does no one have any
questions or comments?

Hag kasher v sameach

Happy Adar to all!

Check out Orthodox Conversion to Judaism group with Yahoo. They can direct you
to a reliable, recognized rabbi for an O-conversion.

Matt


       __________________________________________________________________
Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot
with the All-new Yahoo! Mail.  Click on Options in Mail and switch to New Mail
today or register for free at http://mail.yahoo.ca

Hello Nichole. I'm posting from Anchor Point in Alaska -- not even a small town,
just a wide spot in the road. :D

I had similar problems when I was trying to find out about Judaism; the only 2
rabbis in Alaska are 250 miles away in Anchorage; 1 is reform & 1 is orthodox. I
tried to connect with the reform community 70 miles away, and began emailing
with the reform rabbi in Anchorage, but the more I learned about reform, the
more uncomfortable I became with their teachings and attitudes. Finally I
decided that reform was not what I was looking for -- but I knew that I would be
unable to become a truly observant Jew while living so far from an orthodox
community & rabbi.

So I finally followed up on a suggestion from someone in this group to check out
the Noahide Laws -- the mitzvot for righteous living for gentiles, according to
the Torah. (Stubborn me, I decided to check this out "at last" rather than "at
first" -- but at least I was finally persuaded.)

Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation and just plain silliness about
Noahides on the internet, and some misleading publications for sale too. And
I've been finding out that orthodox rabbis are familiar with the Bnei Noach
(Noahides) & very helpful -- but other rabbis are not, and some are even
critical of the Noahide movement.

However -- once you wade through the misinformation and misinterpretation on the
internet, you can find some very good websites about Noahides. Informative,
supportive, encouraging, and even helpful in connecting with other Noahides and
Noahide groups around the country (and around the world). I even connected with
the other Noahides here in Alaska!

So here's my question: Have you considered studying the Noahide laws? If not,
you might want to look into it (sooner rather than later). Most of us choose to
make a life commitment to G-d as Noahides -- but sometimes the study of the
Seven Laws of Noah become an introduction to Torah and the first step toward
orthodox conversion. And a Bat Noach wouldn't have to leave her small town for
the Big City in order to be close to a synagogue, either.

Anyway, it's just a thought. If you have any more questions about the Bnei
Noach, I'll be happy to hear from you. (I might not know the answers to your
questions, but the director of the online course I'm taking has a great deal of
patience with my questions.)

Shalom --
Josephine
Anchor Point Alaska


--- On Wed, 12/17/08, veteranthe <veteranthe@...> wrote:
From: veteranthe <veteranthe@...>
Subject: [Proselyte Central] Thank you for letting me join! :D
To: proselytecentral@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 10:07 PM











             Hello, My name is Nichole. I live in southern Mississippi( USA). Me
and

my fiancee are running into brick walls trying to find reliable

authentically recognized courses in Judaism(affordable please?) and we

are also having trouble decifering which rabbis online are trustworthy

enough to be willing to work with us towards a LEGAL, authentic

conversion for the both of us(orthodox, if not orthodox, conservative

at the least). We just dont want to end up with a scam artist or

anything like that, feel me?-we live in a small town that has no

resources, synagogues or chabads in our area. Our bookstore in the next

town over either has a sucky selection on books about judaism or none

at all. The only Rabbi we know over here is (I'm sorry to say) an

alcoholic who drinks at bus stops(is he REALLY even a Rabbi??) Please

email me some reliable online information of sources as far as learning

goes and as genuwine rabbis go. My fiancee has full intentions of

converting too! he is not doing this because I am; but because he

believes in the same thing I do-which is a plus! We do desire to move

to a much larger CITY with resouces, but for now, we are stuck here. :

(. Any helpful answers are appreciated! email me!! Thanx!

Hello, My name is Nichole. I live in southern Mississippi(USA). Me and
my fiancee are running into brick walls trying to find reliable
authentically recognized courses in Judaism(affordable please?) and we
are also having trouble decifering which rabbis online are trustworthy
enough to be willing to work with us towards a LEGAL, authentic
conversion for the both of us(orthodox, if not orthodox, conservative
at the least). We just dont want to end up with a scam artist or
anything like that, feel me?-we live in a small town that has no
resources, synagogues or chabads in our area. Our bookstore in the next
town over either has a sucky selection on books about judaism or none
at all. The only Rabbi we know over here is (I'm sorry to say) an
alcoholic who drinks at bus stops(is he REALLY even a Rabbi??) Please
email me some reliable online information of sources as far as learning
goes and as genuwine rabbis go. My fiancee has full intentions of
converting too! he is not doing this because I am; but because he
believes in the same thing I do-which is a plus! We do desire to move
to a much larger CITY with resouces, but for now, we are stuck here. :
(. Any helpful answers are appreciated! email me!! Thanx!

Hello, I'm new to the group. I'm a middle aged woman thinking of
converting to Judaism.  It's been a long, strange journey.  I left
Christianity in 1982 and have been pagan since.  Over the last 3 years
I've had doubts about my religion.  I've formed some good friendships
on the internet with some Jews, ranging from Orthodox to Reform and
began learning about Judaism.  I was delighted to find it is very
different from Christianity and I can actually understand G-d more in
this religion.

I'm not sure I'm being called to Judaism yet, I'm continuing to learn
on a daily basis various aspects of Judaism.

Is confusion and doubt about everything common when considering
converting?

(Please, no bashing pagan religions)

Barb

L'Shana Tova

--- On Tue, 9/23/08, Vladimir Alexander <hazerava@...> wrote:
From: Vladimir Alexander <hazerava@...>
Subject: Re: [Proselyte Central] Re: Rosh Hashanah
To: proselytecentral@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 9:16 PM











             Shalom

L'Shanah Tovah


Vladimir Hazera



----- Original Message ----
From: aryehmoshen <aryehmoshen@ yahoo.com>
To: proselytecentral@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 4:19:12 PM
Subject: [Proselyte Central] Re: Rosh Hashanah



May you all be enscribed for a wonderful year.

May you all be enscribed for a wonderful year.

Only five weeks left before Rosh Hashanah.

I would suggest that members who are planning to attend services check
with their synagogues as per purchase of seats.

Most of us should have Machzorim for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Those who wish to know more can read the Machzorim and post questions.
The Book of Our Heritage (by Rabbi Kitov) is and excellent resource.

For those to whom the term Machzor is new, a machzor is a prayer book
for a holiday.

To all - have an easy and meaningfull fast

the topic is "off topic" and not completely important. [It was
regarding women and aliyot to the Torah. This well-known modern
Orthodox rabbi acknowledged that while women were clearly entitled at
the time of the Talmud to have an aliyah, here are the reasons why it
will never happen...specifically the question of whether one who is
not obligated can transfer a mitzvah on to one who is obligated, to
which the answer is "no".] During the Q & A, he made the point that
there will be many good unanswered questions in life but it shouldn't
stop us from seeking these answers out.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program...

Over the years, I have been viewed as a "novelty act" by born Jews
when they find out that I converted (the fact that I am "part Jewish"
to begin with is not as interesting), I get asked why did I do such a
thing. While working on Reform during 1996-1997, I remember the
secularized Jewish friends of my in-laws could not comprehend the
idea that one could "become" Jewish because to them, Jewish was just
something you were. [Until my mother revealed her "part Jewishness"
to the group, I had been seen as the "shiksa girlfriend" and they all
acted like they never heard of such a thing (conversion), let alone
someone actually wanting to be a Jew.] I got the standard questions
about it being for my (now) husband, and the best time was when he
piped in to his mother's friends, "No, I'm doing it for her" and
walked away from them. The point is that you can answer a person's
questions over and over, but unless they are willing to
understand/comprehend, they may never do so.

I see mitzvot as a way to connect to G-d, yet I know another Jew who
sees them as "duties" (all in the wording, I suppose). However, I do
not think we are getting anywhere by making Angela explain her
intentions (in the same way all of us who have been there felt
compelled to do the same thing). Conversion is a journey, and a lot
of people can not speak confidently about what they will/won't do
several years down the road.

For example, soon after my Reform conversion I knew that we weren't
going to stay at that temple. I got tired of explaining my desire to
keep kosher (but not telling them to do it) and the rabbi's lack of
desire to "work" on Saturdays by insisting that all bar/bat mitzvah
celebrations occur on Friday night. We ended up at
a "traditional/egalitarian" minyan for several years where my desire
for the "full" service and his need for mixed seating and equal
participation was able to be realized. At the time, we said we
could "never" see ourselves daavening with a mechitzah and I had said
I wouldn't give up leining (Torah reading) or wearing a tallit, all
of which we did when I completed my Orthodox conversion.