My wife is Jewish, and I have been to Israel a number of times, I have read all of the torah (in English), and read, speak and understand Hebrew. I still don't know the process.
2007-02-14 01:07:18 · 9 answers · asked by Jonathan R 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
First off, I would recommend a conversion under Orthodox auspices as such a conversion is accepted by everyone.
Process:
1) Find a rabbi who will supervise your conversion. Be persistent, he will refuse at first.
2) Lots of learning....especially about the laws of keeping kosher, observing the sabbath and family purity. This is the long haul...can take from 1 to 5 years, depending on you and the rabbi.
3) When the rabbi deems you ready you will appear before a Jewish Court and asked a series of tough questions.
4) As you are male, you will need to be circumcised. If you've already been circumcised, a drop of blood still needs to be drawn from the site of the circumcision. This is the hardest part.
5) Immersion in a ritual bath (mikveh) and welcome to the tribe
6) As you are married, you will need to get married again, under Jewish law before you can live with your wife again....this is (usually) the fun part...BIG PARTY.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
2007-02-14 01:26:55 · answer #1 · answered by mzJakes 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
First, you have to be sure you're doing this for yourself, not just because your wife is Jewish. Orthodox and Conservatives won't assist in a conversion for the wrong resons. Rabbis are technically required to reject potential converts three times, and only if they remain adamant to then convert them. However, a rabbi convinced of the prospective convert's sincerity may allow him or her to follow the process of conversion, and thus appear before an established three-judge Jewish religious court known as a bait din (religious court) to be tested and formally accepted.
There is no specific time frame for the conversion process and procedures. The prospective convert is taught the basic laws and beliefs of Judaism, and must show an ability to keep the laws and make a commitment to keep them. The fact that you've already studied torah will help you there. The actual ceremony involves bathing in a mikve (ritual bath).
2007-02-14 01:20:33 · answer #2 · answered by Skysong 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Contact a Rabbi of the same branch of Judaism as your wife, and even before that, look into yourself to try to find the reason you want to convert. If it is anything less that your true belief that it is the right path, and unrelated to any desire to "fit in" with your wife's family, than you are going the right direction, but if it is not something you actually would care about were she not in your life, than please dont bother, as Judaism does not require you to be a Jew the way Christianity and Islam do, in order to be "heaven bound" and all that..
2007-02-14 01:20:07 · answer #3 · answered by XX 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is best to talk to a local Rabbi to get all the details.
One thing though - if you are not circumcised - you will have to be.
Circumcision isn't so bad when you are only 8 days old but from what I have been told it isn't that pleasant for an adult (not the removal of the foreskin which would be under local anesthetic but the recovery).
If you decide to go through with it - MAZEL TOV!!
2007-02-14 01:17:38 · answer #4 · answered by nycguy10002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I feel like you might be being pushed into this by your wife, and she might be being pushed by her family. The Dalai Lama says it is ideal to stay in the religion you were born into. I think Judaism might offer you some novelty, but longterm, you will feel empty and unanchored Travel in Isreal is interesting, my parents and grandparents did it, that doesn't have any bearing in relation to being expected to act as a Jew in everyday life, which can be complex, remote, and full of meaningless prescribed detail. Isreal is not a Jewish land. It is a Christain, Muslim, and Jewish land.
2007-02-14 21:58:35 · answer #5 · answered by elizabeth 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If your wife is a Jew, why don't you ask her before asking it to the world.
2007-02-14 01:13:14 · answer #6 · answered by Peace4All 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I was told by a friend of mine that you can't convert to Judaism. I think he was referring to Orthodx Judaism though. You might have to check this.
2007-02-14 01:13:29 · answer #7 · answered by resilient armadillo 1 · 0⤊ 6⤋
you can only be born a Jew you cant convert. How selfish!
2007-02-14 01:20:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 6⤋
http://beliefnet.com/index/index_10005.html
http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/
http://whatjewsbelieve.org/
http://becomingajew.org/
http://www.asknoah.org/
http://judaism.about.com/
http://www.aish.com/
http://www.beingjewish.com/
2007-02-14 01:22:19 · answer #9 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋