OPINION PAGE 2
Last Updated 4/17/00

By my own choice, I am an observant Jew.  The topic of my conversion resource page is to help people interested in conversion and to provide Orthodox resources for such - as it tends to be more difficult to find a support system for Orthodox conversions that for non-Orthodox. 

        Conversion to Judaism is a lifelong commitment.  It involves constant learning, and the manifestation of morality through action.  When choosing to join the Jewish people through conversion, which movement of Judaism is in-line with the level of observance you want to live? Do you want to live according to Torah, or do you want to pick-and-choose which laws you'll follow and which you'll ignore?  What is the definition of a covenant?  Is it binding or not?  See PAGE 2 of my Opinion pages for more information. 

          Why brings you to Judaism?  This is the question that you'll probably be asked more than any other.  Page 4 of my Opinion pages will deal with the attitude of the Jewish community toward the convert in progress.  Here are a few more common questions and comments you'll likely face during your process. Are you converting because you're dating a Jew? Is the person you're dating Jewish? If they're serious about being Jewish, they would not be dating you. 

          There has been a lingering fear/suspicion of Jew-by-Choice among the Orthodox.  Even halakhic and valid conversions are questioned, though this is against Torah law and is tantamount to heresy. For more information, please see PAGE 3 of my OPINION pages. 
          In America, there is disregard (and disdain) of the validity of non-Orthodox conversions. It is the opinion that these conversions don't require an indepth grasp of what it truly means to be a Jew and live an observant Jewish life. Sincerity is a big concern, as conversions are not to be for the sake of marriage, but for a true desire to join the Jewish people.  Marriage alone should not be the reason for conversion.  This is not to say that someone who comes to Judaism through romantic involvement with a Jew is not sincere, for a relationship with a Jew can spark a true interest in our religious and cultural heritage, which then may lead to conversion.  Some Orthodox Jews even go as far as to hold that there is no such thing as a Ger Tzedek (a righteous convert) anymore, since every conversion occurs due to an alterier motive.  I contend that opinion, because it was not marriage, it was not an individual that led me to choosing to convert.  I read Torah... I saw the truth in it. I saw it as an incredible brilliant light as a means to living a moral existance.  By following Torah, we become closer to Hashem. This is not to say that we become like Hashem, but that we become closer to living the existence intended for humankind.

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In the United States: Some Conservative rabbis do not recognize Reform or Reconstructionist conversions.  Reform rabbis usually accept all conversions when certain criteria are met.  Orthodox Jews only recognize Orthodox conversions.

In Israel: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox conversions are recoganized as valid in granting citizenship to the country as a Jew under the Law Of Return.  If you choose a non-Orthodox conversion, you will be recognized as a Jew under Israeli law.

Religion provides a moral base by which to live.  Any religion which advocates ethical behavior has the potential to be a positive thing in the world.  Being Jewish means that we're obligated to live up to the full potential of our humanness as distinct from animals.  That said, Torah was revealed to us in the wilderness, not settled by any one nation, so that no one single nation could stake claim on it... it belongs to the world as a guide to manifesting that potential in all humanity.  It is Jews who chose to accept the Torah and obligate themselves to live by it.  It's we Jews who are to be the light to the world by living according to that law.  Our sages, men of exceptional education and intellect, decreed safeguards around these laws to ensure compliance.  Many Orthodox folks believe that once you take on an obligation or level of observance, you should not go backwards and be less observant.  To think the rabbinical decrees (such as the 39 melakha of Shabbat) are outdated or inconvenient is to lower ourselves from our potential. 

The Written Torah and Oral Torah were given simultaneously by Hashem to Moshe Rabeinu at Har Sinai. They are thus equally binding as law.