Convert to Judaism

How to convert to Judaism

The first thing you need to know about converting to Judaism is that you can't do (all of) it online. Anyone who tells you that you can - well, such a "conversion" won't be recognized.

And the second thing you need to know about converting to Judaism is that it's very much doable, and that you can start the process by learning online. So you're in the right place at Judaism Online. (See below.)

Conversion to Judaism: the 6 steps

In the Bible, Ruth famously declares to her mother-in-law, Naomi, that "Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Today, the process of conversion to Judaism is a bit more involved.

Judaism is not just a religion. When you become Jewish, as Ruth so beautifully put it, you join the Jewish religion, and you also join the Jewish people, because Judaism is the religion of the Jews.

Step 1: Learn the basics of Judaism

So learning for conversion to Judaism means learning all the basics of Judaism - what Jews believe and don't believe, how to keep the Sabbath, how to eat kosher, and lots more - and it also means learning Jewish history, and about antisemitism, and about Israel. And more.

Different rabbis will have different requirements about what you need to learn. But the idea is for you to learn enough to begin functioning as a practicing Jew. There isn't an expectation that you will complete a lifetime of Jewish learning in the months that you spend learning toward conversion to Judaism. (This isn't just a slogan, this lifetime learning: Jews are supposed to keep learning, every day.)

Before there was an internet, the only way you could do this step of learning the basics of Judaism was to take a class with a rabbi at a local synagogue. Now you can do the learning online, including here at Judaism Online. (For details on my Introduction to Judaism course, see below.)

Step 2: Consult with a Rabbi

Judaism isn't something you can just pick up from a book (or even from a website). It's a way of life. And if you are contemplating changing your life to become Jewish, you need to talk with a rabbi. 

Just like the study component, it used to be that your only option was with a local rabbi. But you can do this step, too, right here at Judaism Online, by booking consultations with me. (For details, see below.)

Step 3: Find a Jewish community

Judaism isn't something you do by yourself (though of course what you do in your home is a big part of Judaism). Judaism requires community. And this is especially true for people working on conversion to Judaism, because this is how you learn by example and by doing. You need to be part of a synagogue.

In the old days, if you lived far from a Jewish community, chances are you wouldn't have heard much about Jews or Judaism. Today's world is more connected (electronically, anyway), and while there is some element of community online, it's not the same as in-person.

By joining a synagogue, you learn the melodies for the prayers. You learn the choreography of the prayers. You hear the Torah being read. And, after the service, you join with the veteran Jews, and possibly some others working on conversion to Judaism, for a meal. And so on.

What do you do if you live far from a Jewish community? You visit one as often as you can, at least one Shabbat/month. And when you're not there, you join online services and programs, if they offer them.

There's another reason why you need to find and become part of a Jewish community: this is the only way that your conversion will be recognized by Israel. It's actually a requirement if, at any time in the future, you want to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel).

And there's still one more reason: remember how there's no such thing as an online conversion to Judaism? You need a local rabbi to actually complete your conversion. More on this in the following steps.

Step 4: Beit Din 

A Beit Din is a tribunal of three rabbis, or in smaller Jewish communities, one rabbi and two laypeople. It is a Jewish court, and is authorized to decide matters of Jewish law. Including, in this case, whether someone is ready to convert and become a Jew.

Orthodox batei din (that's the plural) will usually require strict knowledge of and adherence to Jewish law. This includes Shabbat and kashrut observance, but also other aspects of halakhah (Jewish law). When I participate in a beit din, either as the convening rabbi or together with others, I require Shabbat and kashrut observance, but also ask the candidate questions not directly related to halakhah. As a Conservative rabbi, I want to know if the candidate is ready not only to take on Jewish observance, but if he or she is ready to think, believe, and live as a Jew, including while navigating issues such as relationships with family members who are not Jewish.

The beit din usually will meet in the rabbi's office. You won't see the formalities of a civil court, and the members of the beit din won't be sitting on a raised platform. Because you will have been working with the convening rabbi, you will know him or her and, aside from some understandable nervousness, you should feel comfortable in a conversation about your readiness to become Jewish.

When people convert with me, I visit their kitchens either in person or virtually to determine what they need to do to make their kitchens kosher. This happens well before the beit din stage. How to keep kosher, in addition to what you learn in formal lessons (like here on Judaism Online), requires guidance from your rabbi and from Jewish friends who keep kosher.

Back to the beit din itself: the conversation, in addition to the above, may focus on your answers to essay questions that you will have provided in advance. The beit din might take a half-hour or more, because it is really an opportunity to assess your readiness to take on the responsibilities of being a Jew both in terms of knowledge and in practice.

The rabbis will ask you to step out so they can confer, and then invite you back in for their decision. Usually, your sponsoring rabbi will only bring you to a beit din when he or she is confident that you are ready. The beit din is not just a formality, but neither should it be a scary experience. In all of my years as a rabbi, I can only recall one instance where a candidate (not mine; I was a member of a beit din convened by other rabbis) was clearly not ready.

Step 5: Circumcision (for men only)

Judaism requires that all male converts be circumcised. For a generation or two, circumcision of baby boys in the US and possibly elsewhere was near-universal. If you are a male seeking to convert to Judaism, once you pass the beit din, you will need to be circumcised. While the procedure is relatively simple for a baby, it is obviously more complicated for an adult, and the surgery must be done by a qualified physician. If the doctor is Jewish, he or she can recite the blessings, and the circumcision will count toward conversion. If not, see below.

What if you are already circumcised medically? Circumcision is removal of the foreskin, and once it's removed, you can't remove it a second time. Instead, whether you were circumcised as a baby, or as an adult by a non-Jewish doctor, then all that is needed is a symbolic drawing of a drop of blood from the site where the foreskin once was, using a lancet. This symbolic procedure is called hatafat dam brit.

If you have a surgical circumcision done as an adult for conversion, you'll need to wait for the wound to heal before the next step; if you have hatafat dam brit, you can proceed after even a few minutes.

Step 6: the Mikveh

The final step in the process of converting to Judaism, for all converts (male and femaile) is immersion in a mikveh, or small pool used for ritual purification. (If you come from a Christian background, this is where baptism originated.)

You prepare for your immersion by first showering, and removing anything attached to your body, such as contact lenses, makeup, artificial nails, jewelry, etc. 

When you are ready, you'll call out to the attendant (some mikvehs have a bell or similar mechanism). For women, the attendant will be female; for men, male. If the convert is of the same sex as one of the rabbis, the rabbi may serve as the witness instead of an attendant.

Then, with a towel wrapped around you, you will walk down the steps into the water of the mikveh. The water will include water from a natural source, such as rain or snow melt. (The natural source means that natural bodies of water are also suitable, such as a lake or the ocean, if privacy can be maintained.)

For most adults, the water will come up to your waist. You'll immerse completely under the water, taking care not to touch the walls or the floor. People with long hair: you'll need for all of it to be in the water, not on the surface.

While different rabbis may have different practices, you'll likely be asked to immerse three times. Each time, the witness (either the attendant or the rabbis) will check that your immersion was kosher, meaning that you immersed completely without touching anything. You'll recite blessings, and when you come out, you will be Jewish.

Modesty and privacy are maintained. If the rabbis aren't of the same sex as the convert, they will not be in the room, but in an adjacent room where they can hear the splash as you immerse and the attendant call out "kosher" to signify that the immersion was in fact kosher.

When you've dried off and dressed, you'll come out to the waiting room and receive your certificate of conversion, signed by the rabbis. Welcome to the Jewish people and to Judaism!

Learn Judaism at Judaism Online

At Judaism Online, I teach the history, texts, holidays, and meaning of Judaism to adults. My Introduction to Judaism course is deep, comprehensive, and designed for people who might or might not have previous knowledge. It's suitable for people interested in converting to Judaism.

Learning at Judaism Online is private, convenient, affordable, and non-threatening. You don't have to ever be embarrassed if you don't already know something, because it's individual learning. You learn at your own pace at Judaism Online, and I'm here to answer your questions.