I am trying to get some kind of dialog
started)<br><br>So what experiences have you all had with Adult
Education programs at your shul or a communtity
center?<br><br>My temple has (in my optionion) an excellent adult
education program, they offer quite a few classes, and the
tuition is reasonable (unlike the child education
program).<br><br>I have taken seveal classes including Intro to
Judaidm (in preparation for my conversion), an Adult
B'nai Mitzvah class that was a year long, and I am
currently struggling through a conversational hebrew
class.<br><br>There are other courses offered on subjects like
spirituality, and of course the scriptures, you get the idea.

i, I'm Abbey48. I converted a few years ago in
Orthodoxy. Yes we do have stricter guidelines as far as
practices and conversion goes.Each sect of Judaism has
their own way of looking at things. My Shul lifts up
the convert, not putting them down,because of all
that a convert gives up! Once a person becomes Jewish,
then he or she is a Jew. We do not eat meat and cheese
together. Rabbis liken it to a saftey barrier.(They given
the authority in Torah by G-D) I allow my children to
play upto the sidewalk, but not in the street. I could
allow them to play upto the curb,but what if they fell
into the street and was hit by a car? Then I would be
guilty of not watching and gaurding over my children.
Rabbis do the same thing, they watch and guard the laws
of Torah. Yet it is up to me to choose whether or
not I follow the guidelines. Yes men are required to
do more rituals than women, however women are not
forbidden to do the same rituals. Women are elevated in
Orthodox Judaism, because of raising a family and running
a household. It would be very hard to feed your
children at the same time puting on telfilin. I love being
Orthodox,and could never be Reform. Jews are Jews,regardless
of their Affliation. True,we consider an Orthodox
conversion the correct way.However,anyone can worship in an
Orthodox Shul,because it is open to anyone that wishes to
worship G-D, Jew or gentile.<br>My Shul has many
converts, black,white and spanish. But we are all Jewish.
Some have gone through conversion at other Synagogues
that were less observatant,and later wanted to be more
observatant or perhaps looking for something more spiritual
and did a second conversion. Yes a small pin prick is
required of the man if is already circumsized. And we do
immerse in the mikvah, but so does the Conservatives. To
be a Jew is very fulfilling. Every moment I feel
aware of HaShem,because the prayers and the rituals
constantly remind me of Hashem.

i<br><br>I wonder if any of you are non-white convertees. I would be happy to
hear about your experiences.<br><br>midnight

he general "way of thinking' in a reform
synagoge is that you decide what you do as a jew,
obviously most reform jews follow much less of the laws
than most orthodox jews.<br><br>I am afraid I don't
know which passage/commandment you are referring to
about cutting hair.<br><br>A friend of mine at our
temple underwent the ritual cicrumcision when he
converted, I did not, neither of us went to the mikveh, but
I know someone else who did. You can be as
observand as you wnt to be or less observant and people
will be fine with it.<br><br>In my limited
understanding, nothing is "optional" in an orthodox conversion,
you need to have the ritual circumcision, the mikveh,
the bet din (court of three rabbis that grill you), I
beleieve you even have to master hebrew before you can
convert. If you are a woman they train you on all the laws
of kosher and how to keep a kosher home. I believe
that the conversion process is completely different
for man and women, since the men are expected to
study torah and the women most certianly are not, and
the women are expected to maintain the household and
the men are not.<br><br>As far as the way our temple
operates, while our Rabbis drive on the sabbath and friday
noght services start at 7:30 as opposed to "sundown",
you won't find a ham sandwhich or cheeseburger served
at any temple functions.<br><br>Every year at
passover our temple has an event called "Seder in the
Desert" where more than a hundred families go camping at
some campground in the wilderness, we have a huge
community outdoor seder. The rules say you can't eat food
that is not kosher for passover outside your tent or
motorhome, obviously some people do what they will inside.

hat's interesting-i hadn't really realised that
before. i hope this isn't going to sound really naive (i
know very little about practical judaism), but where
do reform synagogues stand on undeniable things like
not cutting hair (as it says in leviticus, i
think)...i often see rabbis with short hair, which seems a
bit strange...some practising jews who i've talked to
aren't even aware of this passage, which seems kinda
strange...also, there's circumcision which from my reading of the
torah has no get out clause whatsoever, but from the
previous discussion, it sounds like it's required only for
orthodox conversion...what's the score?<br>peace<br>ain

am by no means an authority on Orthodoxy but I
will give my opinions based on my
experiences.<br><br>The Orthodox (as a rule) seem to be far less
resposive to converts than other, more liberal Jewish
communities, I don't know if it is a racial issue (probably is
at least in part) or if it is because of writings
over the centuries basically defining converts as
"second class" jews. My suspicion is that most orthodox
would not consider me or any other non-orthodox convert
to be jewish at all.<br><br>My problem with
orthodoxy as I understand it is that the vast majority of
the rules that the orthodox live by are not spelled
out in the torah but are defined by rabbis who were
stating their "interpetation" of what god said in the
torah. The torah says that we cannot boil a calf in it's
mothers milk, it does not say that we cannot eat a
cheeseburger, and it certianly doesn't say anything about not
serving any kind of meat product and any kind of dairy
product at the same meal.<br><br>At any rate before I
digress too far, from my point of view, it doesn't matter
what route to conversion you take, you can be as
observant as you like in a reform temple, my hebrew teacher
does not drive on shabbat and keeps a strict kosher
home. Rather than choose a branch based on how
observant most of the people are, visit the syagogue, talk
to the rabbis, you may be surprised as to where you
feel you fit in.<br><br>As for the question as to my
feeling "different" after my formal conversion, not
really, it was important to me to formalize my
jewishness, but as I was already a practicing jew for two
years prior to my conversion, it was something of a
non-event.

or me (until now), i've seen the torah, rather
than a definition of 'judaism' as the defining
characteristic of my beliefs, but i'm coming round to the idea
of judaism as simply the correct way to follow the
torah. see i (i guess like most of you) look on the
torah as the word of ha shem, period, so i don't feel
like i can take any short cuts - i don't think there
are some of the rules you can just disregard, which
is why i'd prefer as orthodox a conversion as
possible, but then i also worry about my own lifestyle & my
(searching for a better term) non-religious views, because i
tend to be rather unconventional...well okay, very
unconventional &...maybe its just me but i imagine an orthodox
temple would not be very appreciative of that. or am i
wrong...does orthodox not necessarily equal
conservative?<br>secondly i'd like to ask, how different internally do
those of you who've converted feel now, & do you feel
more able to give your whole heart&spirit to living as
ha shem asks?

was never really comfortable as a Christian, I
always felt ackward in church, I assumed that you were
supposed to feel ackward.<br><br>I was introduced to
Judaism when I met my wife, who naturally was Jewish, but
who interestingly enough was a convert herself, but
that's another story.<br><br>At any rate I started
becoming exposed to various aspects of Judaism, we were
married in a synagogue (the first time I had ever been in
one). The more I learned the more interested I was. I
gradually came to the realization that I was much more
comfortable with Judaism than I even was with Christianity,
and I didn't even understand what they were saying a
lot of the time.<br><br>I was essentially a
practicing jew for two years before I converted, I was
studying for the conversion, luckily our temple is very
friendly to intermarried couples.<br><br>My parents had
issues of course, since they are still christians, but
they got used to the idea and are very supportive.

orry, forgot to introduce myself. Hello -- I am
in the process of learning and studying, and I hope
to undergo a formal conversion (modern orthodox)
within a year. I'll be starting medical school next year
-- I deferred entrance so that I could travel to
Israel (3 months) and Brasil (7 months). I'm in Brasil
now, but will be back in the US in June.<br><br>Great
Hebrew book: Eliezer Tirkel's "Hebrew at your ease" --
fun, teaches you script right away, and moves fairly
quickly.<br><br>Interesting web site: www.torah.org -- you can sign up for
weekly emails on the torah portion, and a lot
more.<br><br>thanks, victoria

didnt know it was possible to convert, and
spent a few years being interested, wishing I had been
born jewish,etc. I've always felt a need for religion,
and even tried to understand protestantism, etc, but
I just couldnt. Judaism makes sense. It feels like
a revelation, doesnt it? Especially because we've
found it completely on our own, no evangelism involved.

or the past two years i've used the torah as the
basis for my beliefs, but i have been unsure about the
issue of conversion (even wether such a thing was
possible in any but the most liberal of temples). after
reading the existing messages, i feel a little surer that
i should make this step. i'm really pleased this
group exists...i didn't realise there were so many who
had been in my situation!<br>i'm interested in how
others came to this realisation. i had never been
religious before, except an interest in
mysticism&spirituality, & it was my research into kabbalah which
convinced me this was the way...the book 'the truth behind
the bible code' (not the michael drosnin book) kind
of sealed it for me.<br>peace<br>ain

eing that many of us are converted from
christianity, we still have christian family.<br><br>I am
curious as to how others handle this, especially if you
have children you don't want to confuse.<br><br>We
celebrate Hanukkah and do not have any Chrismas anything in
the house, but on December 25, we go over to my
parents house where we effectively do
Christmas.<br><br>My parents are pretty good about it, especially
since they are somewhat religious, they don't give
anything to our kids from Santa, and they call them
presents hanukkah presents.<br><br>It is sometimes a tough
job, juggling your needs and desires, while not
excluding or disrespecting your own non Jewish family.

converted in a Conservative synagogue, so some
basic Hebrew was required. We didn't have to take a
test, but had some lessons in reading the aleph-bet
during class. If you spent some time practicing during
the week, you could at least read phonetically. Some
words were introduced, but nothing formal was
studied.<br><br>After my conversion, I started studying Hebrew more in
depth, mostly out of curiosity about reading the Bible
in the original Hebrew, and because I tend to learn
languages fairly easily, I enjoy it. I learned Biblical
Hebrew since I'm not planning on going to Israel any
time soon, and I could study on my own.<br><br>There
are a lot of good texts out there for modern and
Biblical Hebrew. Ask your rabbi about what he/she
suggests. Keep at it, and pretty soon things will fall into
place. Good luck.

learned to read Hebrew for my conservative
conversion 2 years ago. I've found that praying<br>mostly in
Hebrew both privately and in shul has<br>sharpened my
pronunciation. I can follow most Torah readings in the Chumash
as well.<br><br>I plan on taking advanced beginning
Hebrew to <br>gain comprehension. What
books/texts/recordings<br>have you used? The one used at my shul is
really<br>for kids.<br><br>Unfortunately, my class didn't cover
written <br>Hebrew at all and I'm lost reading the
script<br>as well.

am taking a class at our temple in
coversational hebrew, it is hard but interesting.<br><br>I did
not have to learn any hebrew to convert and lerned
how to read when I got my Bar Mitzvah. Now I am
learing the words and their meanings.<br><br>I know that
each branch has different requirements for how much
hebrew you have to know to convert, my conservative
cowerker had to learn quite a bit more than I did and I
suspec that if you convert in Orthodoxy, you can read
and speak backwars and forwards.<br><br>I was
wondering what others experiences was with learning hebrew,
for whatever reason you learned it.

t's been about 10 years since I converted
through the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, CA.
That's the Conservative movement's seminary on the US
west coast. Right now I belong to a Reform synagogue
in Houston, and stay fairly active. I teach Sunday
school, attend adult ed programs, and participate on a
couple of committees.<br><br>Going through the
university instead of a synagogue was a bit different from
how most people convert. It was a structured class
with Hebrew and an introduction to Judaism. We even
had to pass a written exam in order to get our class
certificate.<br><br>I think I was born with a Jewish soul. It just took
me a while to find my way home, that's all. Unless
you're converting solely because of marriage, I think
that you get a gut feeling about what is right for
you. Once you convert, if that's your choice, you're
pretty much free to discover how you want to practice
Judaism. Even within the most Orthodox communities,
there's room to explore.

'm wanting to convert here in Australia, but
there isn't much choice here in Brisbane--pretty much
only Orthodox. I've got a few problems with orthodoxy,
but I guess I need to look at the bigger picture.
What has been other's experience? Anyone convert
Orthodox, but practice something else? I don't suppose it's
very ethical, but I don't know what to do.
Suggestions?

halom ! <br>I am converting at the present time
to Orthodox/Chabad Lubavitch and find it very
stimulating, I can see how it may be unbearable for some, but
I am really enjoying it. I wouldnt leave it for
anything.

n Orthodox conversion is pretty heavy duty, but
if you convert in Orthodoxy then you will be Jewish
an everyones eyes (except the racists).<br><br>I
would start at a Reform temple, once you are more
involved you can try a Conservative or Orthodox
congergation.<br><br>Reform rabbis are generally pretty open to potential
converts, that is where convers, and interfaith couples are
most welcome (as a rule)<br><br>The best thing you can
do is to get a friend who is Jewish and get the to
go to services with you so you won't be all alone.

have just begun converting over the past six
months; by 'begun' I mean strongly considering
conversion, what it means to be jewish, reading, etc. I'm a
database programmer having recently moved to San Francisco
and am currently exploring temples and which movement
to convert under. I'm considering an Orthodox
conversion but have an appointment with a Reform rabbi in my
area. I feel fairly nervous about contacting rabbis, or
attending service unannounced and uninvited. Should I
contact the rabbi before attending services; I'm
uncertain about the protocol for people converting but not
yet converted.

ne thing you could do to try to belong at your
current temple would be to participate in the Saturday
Morning Minyans, I don't know about yours but our temple
has a group that meeds a few times a month, usually a
small group of a dozen or two.<br><br>There are also
havurah groups within our congregation that meet.

ctually, there's only one conservative
congregation here. Also 2 reform, 2 orthodox (one of which is
Sephardic) and one reconstructionist. For some reason, I
seem to be really drawn to the reconstructionist
movement. I've read some of the writings of Mordecai Kaplan
and a few of the other leaders of the movement, and I
really like what they say. However, as rabbi Rapport has
pointed out, with the increased interest in tradition and
spirituality in the reform movement, reconstruction and reform
are growing much more alike as time goes
on.<br><br>It may be a part of my background, growing up in a
rural area with no large churches, but I'm really much
more comfortable with a smaller congregation than I am
with a larger one. Well, I've got time, and I'll see
how things go.

ou really have to be comfortable with your
temple, we shopped around lots of temples before we
settled on the one we are currently with, luckily there
are a lot of reform temples in the San Fernando
Valley (near L.A.)<br><br>I only took a few months to
prepare for my conversion, but I was effectively a
practicing Jew for a couple of years before that, the
conversion ceremony itself was more of a
formality.<br><br>Since you seem to be more on the traditional side of
the reform spectrum, have you looked at any of the
conservative temples in your area (if there are any) they tend
to be fairly traditional but don't have the strict
"follow the letter of the law" attitude that Orthodoxy
can.

've been going through a conversion process here
for almost two years (yes, I'm taking it very slowly;
I want to be sure I make the best decision for
myself). I've been working with one of the local reform
rabbis, doing a lot of one-on-one study, Hebrew, etc.
When I finally go through the actual process (which I
will), it will involve a Bet Din and Mikvah, although
I'm not sure about the ritual circumcision.
Especially since in my case it would be strictly a ritual.
My problem has been that, while I like the rabbi
I've been studying with very much (and his wife, who
is also a rabbi for the congregation), it's a very
large congregation, and I don't feel very comfortable
there. I much prefer our local Reconstructionist
congregation, although it doesn't have a rabbi, and only meets
once a month.<br><br>Anyway, I guess my answer to your
question would be the difficulty depends a lot on the
movement, the rabbi you're working with, and what you want.
<br>For myself (and I believe for the rabbi), I need the
process to be as traditional as possible.<br><br>I guess
since I just joined, this can be my introduction to
this group, also. Thanks for listening.<br><br>Greg

ince I converted at a reform temple, the process
wasn't that hard, they wanted me to take an
"Introduction to Judaism" class which I thought was pretty
interesting. I think that most reform temples mostly want you
to take a class.<br><br>Conservative temples
generally have more requirements, a friend of mine went
Conservative and they made him learn hebrew, even more than I
had to learn for my Bar Mitzvah.<br><br>From what I
have heard the Orthodox have very difficult
requirements, including lots of studying, a court of three
Rabbis, ritual circumcision, etc. etc.<br><br>I would ask
the Rabbi at the temple you go to what he expects for
the program.

haven't converted yet, but I'm seriously considering it.  Did you find it
difficult?

studied a little bit of hebrew in preparation
for my conversion, mostly so I could read voweled
hebrew and not lose my place in my Torah portion (which
I essentially memorized).<br><br>My temple is
offering an intermediate hebrew class and I am taking it.
I figure I don't want to forget what I have learned
and would like to get better.

work computers, specifically I manage a group
of engineers for a systems integrator in Woodland
Hills, CA (near Los Angeles). <br>I converted almost two
years ago. <br>I belong to Temple Beth Hillel, a reform
congregation in North Hollywood, CA.

lthough I am bad at getting conversations
started I guess it is my job since I created the club. I
propose that the members of the club post a brief message
about themselves, including what they do, when they
converted, and what temple they belong to.

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