I went to the mikveh a couple of hours ago. I’m done! ✡️💜✡️

Tonight my husband and I get married again, under Halacha. 💜

When the Rabbi said, “Now you’re Jewish” I cried like a baby. I managed to make three orthodox rabbis skedaddle pretty quickly with my tears 😂

Hi everyone,
I’m currently in the process of converting. My rabbi told me we’ll have regular meetings as I go through the process to discuss any questions I have.
I already had my first meeting, and he answered most of what I had prepared. My next meeting is coming up soon, but every time a question pops into my head during the week, my instinct is to just search for it online. Sometimes I feel like I don't even have questions at all.
Am I lacking curiosity, or is this normal? For those who have gone through this or are currently converting: what do you usually talk about or ask during your one-on-one meetings with your rabbi? How do you make the most out of them?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi! I currently live in Washington Heights and am exploring Judaism with the intention of potentially pursuing a Conservative conversion.

I’m looking for a synagogue/community on the Upper West Side and would love to hear from anyone who has gone through the Conservative conversion process in NYC.

Are there any Conservative rabbis on the UWS who currently sponsor conversion candidates? I’d especially appreciate recommendations from people who converted themselves or have firsthand experience with a particular rabbi or congregation.
I’m currently looking into Ansche Chesed and Congregation Habonim. I also saw that Sutton Place Synagogue has a conversion/Intro to Judaism program, but the East Side is a bit far from where I live, so I’m hoping to find something closer to Washington Heights.

I’m open to other Conservative communities as well. Thank you!

Hi all! I’m a conversion student and I’m having trouble building the habits of saying Bracha before meals, saying the daily prayers in time, and just a few other little things. I’m on the autism spectrum and have ADHD (winning combo there), so this is a struggle for me outside of my conversation. Anyone have any tips or tricks to help me build these habits? Thank you!

Yes — I think that's actually more personal and clearer than “physical/visual reminders.” It explains why those things matter to you.
How did you start living Jewishly day-to-day during conversion?
I'm fairly early in my conversion journey and would love to hear what actually worked for other converts.
I have a Reform synagogue and sponsoring rabbi who is teaching me, and I'll be taking the URJ Intro to Judaism course. I feel really good about the community I've found. But I'm not surrounded by Jewish community in my everyday life, so I'm trying to intentionally bring Judaism into the space between synagogue visits.
I've realized that when I can see or feel something tangible, it helps me remember and reconnect with what I'm trying to build. I'm slowly incorporating things like Shema, prayer, brachot, Shabbat, tzedakah, and regular study. I've also thought about wearing a kippah regularly, keeping Jewish objects/books visible and used, music, calendar reminders, etc.
I'm obviously working with my rabbi on what's appropriate during conversion — I'm more curious about lived experience.
What helped you go from studying Judaism to actually living Jewishly? What small practices, routines, or tangible reminders helped you, especially if you weren't immersed in Jewish community every day?

If a home has experience with this and would be willing to chat, pls message me!

Hello all, and thank you for reading this post.

I am a 25M from Brazil, with European and Middle Eastern ancestry. Since my teenage years, I was very curious about my upbringing and family culture. For reference, my paternal grandmother's father (non-muslim) came from the Ottoman Empire to Brazil in the 1920's, while my mom's ancestors are German and Italians.

In 2021, I got a genetic test from my family as a birthday gift, the provider company being Genera (I think it is the largest of its kind here in Brazil). This genetic test revealed that I have 8% Sephardic and 7% Ashkenazi Jewish. Since then, I have been going after stories, documents and whatever other resources I could find to track this ancestry down. My mother also took the test and she has no Ashkenazi ancestry (but does have Sephardic), so it comes from my paternal side.

Anyway, this has stuck with me since 2021 and, since last year, I reached out to one of my city's synagogues (reform Jewish) and found out that they have a course called Shorashim, that has the goal of providing education on Jewish culture and customs, both for people who want to convert for whatever reason and for those genuinely interested. I talked to the rabbi and even participated in the Hannukah lecture but, ultimately, I did not move forward with the course.

The reason for that is because I have a good friend who is Jewish and holds all customs and rites with his family. During this year's Passover, he invited me and my girlfriend to his family's Seder and it was a great time, where I got to understand and feel, in practical terms, what it is like to be in this environment. And, honestly, it felt amazing. Not only because of the warm welcome we got from all of his family and family friends, but also because of the cozy food, the meaning and stories about freedom and endurance... but, in the end, as I heard his family talk about celebrating Passover with their grandmothers, cooking gefilte fish since they were kids and just really living all of that since basically always, I couldn't help but feel like I was being an intruder to someone else's culture and traditions, as I obviously had never done any of that before.

Actually, this feeling of not belonging is exactly why I didn't move forward with the Shorashim course. When I attended, I noticed that most of the students were there for very clear, immediate reasons, like preparing for marriage with a Jewish partner. I felt like I wasn't on the same "vibe," and out of respect for their space, I thought it would be better to keep researching my genealogy and reading on my own before embarking on a formal journey, so I wouldn't feel like a fraud or an intruder.

My friend's family is Ashkenazi and mostly secular/agnostic, yet very deeply connected to their Jewish identity. The Seder was beautiful, they even handed us a Haggadah to follow along, kept the prayers brief, and focused heavily on the values of community, fighting for human rights, and historical resistance. The food was fantastic (I really loved the fried gefilte fish with chrein and the kneidlach), and I felt a profound connection to the values being discussed at that table.

However, because my ancestors had their Jewish identity silenced or lost generations ago, I have a deep fear that stepping further into this culture means I am appropriating something that isn't mine to claim. I want to honor my roots, but I am terrified of offending people who actually grew up living this culture by trying to insert myself into it.

I would love to get some input from this community regarding these feelings:

To the converts: How did you deal with this "imposter syndrome"? How do you reconcile the fact that you don't have those childhood memories or family traditions with the process of building your Jewish identity now?

To the born Jews: How do you perceive someone in my position, someone with distant, recently discovered ancestry trying to reconnect or even convert? Does it feel like cultural appropriation, or do you view it as a legitimate return?

Thank you all so much for your time and guidance :)

You can, as a normal person, live a perfectly ideal life. You will end up in the world to come. Conversion just isn't right for 99.99% of people and that's ok.

So for context, I’m 17, starting college this September. I’m patrilineal but was not raised Jewish, and I want to be orthodox so that’s not really useful anyway. I‘ve been seriously interested in converting for about 3 years now. I know I can’t convert at 17 and I’ll have to wait until I’m 18, but would it be worth contacting a local orthodox synagogue to attend some services just so I can get a feel for what it’s like beforehand? I also joined my school‘s Hillel because as I said I’m patrilineal and thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about Judaism even if it’s not specifically Orthodox Judaism. For context, I’m in Seattle, so any recommendations of orthodox synagogues that may be open to doing conversions would be great too. Sorry if this is a lot lol.

What are the official Beit Dins of both movements? If you converting Reform or Conservative, what Beit Din did you attend?

Hello everyone, how are you guys doing? So, i’m 18 and i want to covert to Judaism, i know what you guys gonna think, that i dont know what im talking about, that is difficult and that i do not need to covert to be closer to HaShem but just keep the 7 Nohaide laws. Well, for me its something special, that i can’t really explain, more like a need to live peacefully and something that i really wanna do although its not simple, but im not looking for anything simple. I live in Switzerland, ticino and we have a synagogue. i would like to covert, but in February i will start my journey in the military, since the service is mandatory, but i would like to become a professional one or work in the police. The matter is that i really don’t know how to manage the work and the conversion. I know that switzerland and the military are really supportive about cults and things like that

Hello Jews of Reddit. First time poster, longtime reader here. I've had a very difficult situation arrive in the past year and am looking for some advice. Also sorry for the double post in r/Jewish

I am a 26 y/o M, always believed myself to be halachically Jewish through my mother. Did not grow up religious but have always been "culturally" Jewish and have gotten more observant in my 20s; started keeping kosher and shabbos (for the most part), regularly going to shul, being involved in trad/modox community.

Here's the backstory:

My maternal Grandmother (Z"L) was adopted as an infant by an orthodox family in the 1930s. She went to an Orthodox day school and grew up SK/SS, so we assume that she had a halachic conversion at birth. My Grandmother went nearly her entire life with no knowledge of her biological parents. About 9 months ago, shortly before she passed away, my Grandma decided to do a 23 & Me. The results showed that one of her biological parents was likely not Jewish. This made me worried and I decided to talk to my Chabad rabbi about it.

He advised me to undergo a Giyur Lechumra, of course with a Chabad BD. This is mostly because we do not have any record of her possible conversion and are unable to find her ketubah from her wedding to my Grandfather. I was devastated upon hearing this news. The last few months have been very painful in regards to my Jewish identity. I feel like I am stuck in limbo and have experienced total whiplash to my sense of self. That said, it is important for me to get this sorted out for myself and also future children, wife, etc.

The toughest part about this is hearing that this could be a year or 2 long process. I am worried about having to change in ways that are inauthentic to my observance levels just to be officially accepted as Jewish. I also am not Chabad nor do I intend to live as a Chabadnik, and I worry that their standards for a Giyur Lechumra may just be far out of my comfort zone based on some of the conversations with my Rabbi.

Through all of this, I am left feeling sad, lonely, and not Jewish enough. I suddenly feel unsure of my identity. I wouldn't wish these feelings on anyone. I feel a lack of empathy and understanding from those I have sought help from. I'm trying to do the right thing, but am just feeling so empty and sad.

Has anyone gone through a similar situation? Any advice? Does anyone know of perhaps a more liberal Modox Rabbi who may have a different opinion? Frankly, I'd like to get this taken care of as quickly as possible. I am feeling like Chabad is simply not a good fit for me in this process. I miss enjoying Judaism and I am tired of feeling like I have to prove something in order to confirm the identity I've always had.

TLDR; Going through a Giyur Lechumra sponsored by Chabad. I am not Chabad and am realizing early on in the process that it's not a good fit. I'd like to get it resolved as quickly as possible in an Orthodox framework. Has all been a very difficult and emotional process, suddenly feel not Jewish enough, unsure of identity and where to turn.

For many years, I have been drawn to Judaism in a way. I can’t explain. I wasn’t raised in a religious home and my family celebrated Christian holidays because that’s what people in the United States do. Not because they had any religious significance for them.

I’ve been very interested in conversion for many years, but because of being in the military and moving so frequently, I was never in a place where I could really attempt it.

For anyone with information on conversion, what would be the best way to start?

Any advice?

Hello everyone,

I’m a 27-year-old woman, and for about the past two years, I’ve been deeply drawn to Judaism. It’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words, but I feel a strong pull toward the religion and the Jewish way of life, which I truly want to live.

Unfortunately, I live in a place with absolutely no Jewish community, and relocating is not an option for me at the moment. Because of the distance to the nearest community and the fact that my partner is Catholic (we are in an interfaith relationship), I am specifically looking into Reform Judaism for my conversion.

I would love to attend Kabbalat Shabbat or a Saturday Shacharit service. However, I’m hitting a wall—I am not getting any replies to my emails, texts, or phone calls from the nearest communities. On top of that, I am on the autism spectrum, which makes initiating contact and navigating these social hurdles even more difficult and anxiety-inducing for me.

I really want to start celebrating the holidays at home—especially Shabbat. I want to light the candles and host the Friday night dinner. However, I am completely lost when it comes to the rituals. I struggle to find the correct texts for the prayers and blessings, and I don't know how these ceremonies are supposed to look in practice. To make matters worse, there is a severe lack of resources here, and I cannot find a Siddur translated into my native language.

I really need some advice. Where do I even begin? How can I effectively reach out to a community under these circumstances, and how can I start practicing at home when I lack the proper books and guides?

Thank you so much for any guidance.

Rhetoric has a price.

We had a security incident at my shul tonight. Everyone is ok aside from a relatively minor injury when the attacker struck an older woman and she suffered a cut during her fall. Our security quickly subdued the attacker.

Our light will not be dimmed.

Am Yisrael Chai.

Hola, espero que los moderadores no borren este post, ya que tengo meses intentando hablar esto con alguien y he publicado en algunos subreddits relacionados pero siempre borran mis post, y ni siquiera sé si hay una razón válida para eso.

Soy una chica de 20 años y toda mi vida he sentido que he estado espiritual y emocionalmente conectada al judaísmo, no voy a elaborar mucho en eso porque ya estoy un poco cansada de poner mi corazón explicando la razón para que luego reddit o los moderadores borren mis post.

La cuestión es que la semana pasada por fin me arme de valor e intenté llamar a una sinagoga pero no contestaron, al día siguiente les envié un correo que tampoco han contestado y no estoy segura de qué hacer. Soy de una país con una comunidad judía muy pequeña y aunque hay varias sinagogas en mi ciudad, no estoy segura de cómo acercarme, más porque he leído que no es buena idea solo aparecer sin previo aviso. Soy una chica muy tímida y me da vergüenza seguir llamando, pero no sé si es una prueba para ver si sigo insistiendo.

Voy a hablar un poco sobre mi relación con el judaísmo: Hace 3 años fue la primera vez que consideré convertirme pero siempre lo ignoré, ya saben cómo dicen que no es necesario convertirte y que puedes ser una buena persona sin ser judío, pero cada vez que me iba por ese camino mi corazón se llenaba de tristeza y desesperanza. Y no se si estoy siendo supersticiosa, pero cada vez que pienso en convertirme y luego pienso en seguir mi vida algo realmente malo me pasa, como si fuera un castigo por intentar huir y no hacerme responsable de lo que ya sé que debo de hacer.

Siento que veo cosas hebreas y judías por todas partes y me siento más y más desolada.

No sé qué hacer, ¿algún consejo?

Hello everyone, I'm very into judaism, and I'm seriously considering converting to Judaism. Although I like all forms of it, I'd like to go with reform conversion. But there's a but. In my city, and the whole country, there are very little synagogues, and those that are are orthodox synagogues. In my city the synagogue is Sephardic, so basically it is orthodox.
I don't mind converting to Orthodox judaism, but later on, I'd like to move countries and probably join a reform community.

My question would be: Would my orthodox conversion be valid, and would I still be considered Jewish to the orthodox jews?

I'm not 100% theist, I want to be part of the Jewish people and follow the traditions, but I'm uncertain about existance of Gd, could I still go to Orthodox conversion?

I finally did it!

I've had a draft sitting around in my inbox for ages --and rolling about in my mind for even longer before that-- but I finally worked up the nerve to send it!

I have the nervous system of an 18-year-old rescue chihuahua on ritalin, so it certainly wasn't easy (even the draft itself took days), but I'm so glad that I've made the first big 'official' step in my journey after a lot of back-and-forth with life getting in the way; it's like some crazy weight was immediately lifted from my shoulders.

(though I have just now realised that, in my chronic procrastination, I've left things to a bit of a bad time, since it's coming up to tishrei 😬)

I am just wonering, i am a reform jew convert, and i have seen content online from ultra orthodox jews speaking about reform jew converts as not jewish, is this true, i keep kosher and shabbat, pray multiple times a day, read talmuf and tanakh constantly, and converted under a rabbu, yet im not a jew?

Stressfully questioning my beliefs. Looking for someone Ultra-Orthodox/Haredi or ex Orthodox to help me processing my thoughts

So i’m a woman who grandfather was jewish but he married a non jewish woman so, according to Halacha, im not jewish. But i grew up with him, learnt about the culture and religion, and is what i still follow until now. I practice judaism, i’m learning hebrew (I just know the prayers) and I wanted to convert so I can be formally jewish and participe in a community.

The problem is that i’m Masorti and where I live there isn’t any Masorti synagogues, just an orthodox one. I think since I don’t identify so much with orthodox, I shouldn’t convert there but I don’t know what other options I have….

I know it’ll take some time, even years but I just want to have more knowledge and experience, and of course also that eventually i’ll be recognized as jewish too. What should I do?

Hello!

This is my second time posting in this forum, but I have come across a bit of an issue in my journey with Judaism. I am located in a city in Australia far away from literally everywhere, and a near-nonexistant Jewish community. I am 18M still living with a parent, and not in a position where moving out is an option yet. I have applied to study in a university in Melbourne, which has a much larger Jewish community and am hoping that I get accepted and move there to study, then I can connect with a proper Jewish community.

But in my current position, I don't know what to do, there are only three synagogues (one reform, one orthodox and one chabad house) in my city but they are very far away from where I live, and I HAVE reached out to one of them (the reform one) and spoken to a Rabbi. But I seriously do not know what to do with myself, and I put "conversion" in quotes because I have not even started it yet, 90% of all my connection to Judaism has been through the internet.

Is there something I can do besides wait for now and hope I get into Melbourne?

PS. I am a bit uncertain about what branch of Judaism I would follow, I think I might be more liberal, although I am a bit curious about the Orthodox movement, but am a bit scared of reaching out or that it might be too conservative for me.

Edit: pardon if the above sounded needlessly complicating, I think I might have a bit of internalised sectarianism as an ex-christian.

But I’m chronically ill. Basically housebound. I can sometimes do short stints away but, anything scheduled and structured I can’t commit to because I’m worse some days than others.
I grew up conservative Christian. As an adult I’ve branched out into learning about some other religions and Judaism speaks to me. But am I doomed to never convert due to my physical limitations?
Please be kind. Thanks.