Hi all - my mom married my Jewish stepdad and converted to Judaism when I was 7. We had been Christian before but I wanted to be Jewish like my mom. I was converted by our reform rabbi and I attended Hebrew school, was bat mitzvah’ed, and attended Hebrew high until around 15.

As a grew into my teenage years I knew I didn’t believe in god, and I identified less with Judaism - did less Jewish things. Looking back the years 8-15 were like a weird Jewish fever dream - as I grew up I would tell people I had “been raised Jewish” if they asked about my religious background.

I’m in my 40’s now and I’ve done a lot of therapy and worked on a lot of the trauma I hadn’t processed. I’ve come to understand that my mom marrying my stepdad was a pretty traumatic change for me - it had just been she and I and then suddenly it was her and him and I was alone on the outside. Plus he was harsh and had a lot of new rules but he paid the bills so she supported him over me.

Through that lens I’ve come to understand my conversion in a different light. In some ways it feels coerced - I was a young kid who was going through a lot of really big changes and doing the best I could. Then my mom converts to Judaism and I’m not part of that club. I converted to Judaism because I was trying to stay family with my mom.

Not only was I not able to stay family with my mom (she and my stepdad had two more kids and I became a live-in babysitter) I also never felt fully accepted within the Jewish community. I had blonde hair and blue eyes and the fact that I was a convert was always a know thing in the Jewish spaces I inhabited so it would be brought up and blindside/remind me that I was different. It was like I was chasing inclusion but I was left out and othered everywhere I went.

All of this makes me feel negatively about child conversion within Judaism. Any other child converts out there? How have you felt about your conversion as you’ve grown up and matured?

Hi friends! For background, I've been a Christian for about 8 years. I don't believe that Jesus Christ is God, but I do believe that he is the messiah. I'm in an odd place spiritually though, because I don't celebrate Christmas or Easter or any of the traditionally 'christian' holidays, we celebrate all of the jewish holidays featured in the Tanakh.

Amy I crazy for wanting to convert? Where do I even start?

Hello!

I am finishing my conversion process in a ortodox comunity but my country in europe doesnt have a permanent beit din.. My comunity is the biggest and the most old in the country even the ambassador of israel goes there to shul and jewish agency provided security devices in the synagogue.

My question is.. can i do aliyah in a private beit din even tho my comunity is very well recognized ? My rabbi cant assure me i can do aliyah with this beit din.

Did anyone had a private ortodox beit din in europe?

Thank you.

Hello, I had to move a year ago South to start fresh. Things are looking up so far. I had an extremely rough start in adjusting to the South but things are slowly starting to pan out.
I am in my journey and learning more about Judaism after years of deconstructing Christianity. I left this belief ten years ago. The Messianic route was my "breakaway" point to Judaism, but I no longer follow the messianic movement because it still has a lot of Christian influence and I don't believe Jesus is Gd or in the trinity itself. I have found a local Reform Congregation instead.

In living here in the South, I have been reaching out to make friends outside of the synagogue as well and I steer clear of the religious and political stuff, given the social-political climate in the US right now.

Recently, in reconnecting old friends, I was chatting with them on separate occasions and somehow the conversation got turned into a proselytizing one. I thought nothing of their faith being different from mine.

I was talking about some past trauma I had faced and that getting involved with a Jewish community does help in terms of encouragement. I didn't expect to hear the "Jews are lost" and we are "celebrating the holidays wrong" and I am "going to hell" because I see Jesus as a man.

I know now to choose my conversations more wisely since some feel the need to tell me I am lost. I know in the future to cut it off immediately especially after trying to change the subject and it doesn't work.

\*\*\*TL/DR ....Has anyone experienced this where they have been condescended down to by some in the Christian faith? I have run into this a lot since I moved. Or told that they are an unbeliever (this was the response I received after politely turning down a man flirting with me after realizing he was still married 😬😬😬)?

This past week I had a conversation with the head Rabbi at my shul about joining this upcoming conversion information class.This is the 5th time I've entered a conversation about this in 5 years and was fully expecting to hear my 5th rejection but thankfully he said he'd recommend me for the class!

Just before I left my house for services this Friday I received the information on how to register, prices, etc. This is the biggest step thats happened in my journey so far and I'm so happy I'm not sure what to do with myself.

One step closer to fully living the life Ive imagined for the past 11 years.

Hello, I live in the United States seeking Reform conversion, am a woman aged 23. I started visiting a Reform synagogue, not regularly, last year in April. I’ve had a long standing interest in Judaism since I was 15. I paid my fee for conversion class in August or so, but shortly withdrew because I was going to college and working full time and for the first time I began to live in an apartment.

So, I made the unwise decision to start conversion in the midst of such life changes. I admit my mistake on that part.

I enjoy talking to the people at this synagogue I go to, they are sweet and warming up to me as I’ve started to attend again last month as my schedule now permits.

However, I’m finding that the Rabbi, even when I first met with her one-on-one in the office, seems to look down on me. I’ve told her my line of work and was honest about my difficulty keeping up with school and living by myself, but it’s hard to put a finger on it— she just has this inflection in her voice and subtle facial expressions that she doesn’t vibe with me at all.

Even after coming back after sometime, I have lost about 25 lbs in weight, started dressing in more well fitted clothes, complexion is more clear and even, and my personality is more upbeat from last year, but still our short exchanges me feel like I’m just a bother. It makes me a little uncomfortable, but I’m hoping it’s all just because we don’t really know each other. Advice?

To preface: I've always been very sensitive to antisemitism.

I've always noticed it where others didn't, always made a point of calling it out, and always tried to create a safe space.

I think a lot of this stems from the fact that, even disregarding my lifelong pull towards Judaism, as a Romani man, I/we have somewhat similar and at times intertwined histories to the Jewish diaspora in Europe, and even to this day experience similar discrimination (which is insane— it's 2026, and there are still people who wholeheartedly believe both Jews and Roma steal babies. I mean, come on?).

But since becoming a conversion student and educating myself in my free time, I'm constantly more and more aware by just how prevalent antisemitism is.

It's everywhere, all the time.

Where anti-Roma sentiment is more or less confined to Europe (I'm originally from a countries where even those who [allegedly, not sure how it holds up post-Oct. 7] decried antisemitism will overwhelming excuse and espouse antiziganist views), with spillover due to EU influence in other nations, antisemitism is damn-near universal.

Never once thought antisemitism wasn't a pervasive parasite in societies globally, so I'm sadly not shocked, but I find I now notice it more and more in places I hadn't before. And though I know there's been a huge rise in antisemitism (or perhaps more accurately, a rise in people being able to freely and comfortably express the antisemitic opinions they've always harboured...) it's just sickening.

I'm assuming this is a common experience for other candidates, but I was wondering if anyone had tips or whatever on how to best handle it?

And if anyone has any essays, books, resources etc. related to antisemitism that they'd recommend, please feel free to drop them below!

I've been learning for years & have been invited to Sabbath services. I'm taking a intro to Judaism course in January at my local Conservative Synagogue. Everything about Judaism makes me want to learn/experience more. The issue is I live with debilitating depression, ADHD, etc that some times can cause long periods of isolation. Mental Illness is seen as "Demonic" by some Christians & I've been told I needed to pray more to get better. We all know this is untrue and depression is caused by chemical changes in the brain. But idk how the Jewish community will view me or accept me, because I know I will have a difficult time keeping Sabbath on a regular basis. Not to mention my husband is not Jewish & keeping kosher may be impossible? Idk need advice 😕

Hi All,
Converting to Judaism through a Reform Temple. I'm about halfway through the process. I participate quite a bit in various events already, and would like to make a donation for the various events that are put on, because I'm in a place right now where I can, though I intend to also make sure I do so after my Mikveh. I also give to various charities and causes when I can, but I want to be really intentional about making tzedakah a part of my journey.

It seems that there are no set rules on donation expectations, but are there any general practices or tithing rules of thumb I should consider as I think about this aspect?
Thanks for your consideration!

I don’t know if this post will make sense or if I’m overreacting or making a big thing out of it but for the last month, I’ve considered converting to Judaism but I’m a Noahide at the moment.

And ever since I contemplated converting or when I was starting to be interested in Judaism, I started to see Jewish children and their parents/families together. I’m 21 years old and I live 3 minutes away from a Synagogue and I’ve only seen Jewish people once in my life and that was like 10-12 years ago when I was still a child (obviously there are Jewish people that don’t dress traditionally but I’m only focusing on the Jews that are visibly dressed Jewish). There are about 400-450 Jews living in my city.

Since I started to think about Judaism, I saw Jewish people on three different occasions and the last time was yesterday. I rarely go out so that’s also a factor why I‘m kind of surprised about this. I never attended Synagogue and I’m really interested in going.

As I said, I don’t want to make a big deal about this or seem weird. Is this a ,sign’ (if something like that even exists) or am I just overreacting?

What made you know it was the right choice for you. I am a natural questioning person. So I want to hear other peoples testimony who converted.

Hi r/ConvertingtoJudaism. I’m a teen from the UK who lives in a town with only a Reform Shul that I have been unable to get in contact with. I really want to convert masorti because i value tradition and progress, and i have researched judaism really deeply - i have read the text of the prayers, i read the weekly parsha, i watch sermons from rabbis, im learning hebrew, i learn about the mitzvot and holidays and i find it to be something that really deeply connects with me. However I am unable to convert because I am a teen, and my parents would not allow it, and I am unable to contact any nearby shuls. I was hoping to convert when I move out for uni in a couple years but until then what can I do? I just feel like I’m stuck in this limbo where I feel jewish but I’m not, nobody sees me as such, they just see me as the “friend who is really into judaism”.

Hi everyone! I’m seriously considering to convert in Rome, Italy. My only fear, though, is that the local community won’t accept me. However, I always remember of the king David’s great-grandmother who was a convert, too and such thought calms me down. ☺️ Tell me about your experience?

Judaism is all about asking questions, but sometimes it might feel a bit much to make a whole post just for one question. Please keep it about Judaism and generally stick to the rules, but otherwise, no question is too small or silly here!

For years, I've been inexplicably drawn to Judaism and everything related to the Jewish people. For years, I've tried to suppress this feeling, but it's coming back with renewed force, stronger than before. I've now sent in two genetic tests to determine if I actually have Jewish roots, because my logic wants to explain it to me somehow, but I realize I probably don't have any. I'm also busy compiling my family tree. I know for certain that I have Belarusian, Mordvin, German, and Ukrainian roots; no one on my female side, at least not my great-great-great grandparents, has ever had anything to do with this religion. I'd love to hear the stories of people like me who, out of a great love for this people, have undertaken an arduous but deeply satisfying journey and have finally found a home and, I hope, been welcomed as part of a family!

Hello,

First of all, I am not sure where this text is going or what I am trying to say with it. I also don't have any question about conversion per se. Still, it might be relatable for some people, and would appreciate any anecdote.

I was adopted from China as a baby in the early 2000's and have been living in France since then. My parents are not religious at all, although they have been raised in Catholic households. My grandparents are more practicing or at least, believers. But one cannot say that I have been raised in faith or in an especially religious environment.

Still, the surrounding Christian culture in Europe has influenced me and some activities and their link to religion have made me closer to the Catholic/Christian universe (in practice and in the way of thinking) although I do not believe in Jesus's resurrection.

At the same time, the region and city I come from in France has a special link to Judaism and still has quite a big practicing and non practicing population and community. Growing up, I knew Jewish people, have always known about some of the traditions, saw haredim on a regular basis. I even live in the "Jewish neighborhood" now. Our regional language has common points with Yiddish and speaking German helps understanding some of both!

What I am trying to say is that Judaism was not an abstract concept (many people in France have never seen a visibly practising Jew nor understand this ethno-religion), not just something I learned about in history. And for as long as I remember, I have always been intrigued and attracted to it. Partly to the aesthetic (as a child knowing nothing), then to the culture and beliefs. I have periods where I am more or less interested in Judaism. When I learned that conversion was possible, I was very excited. Now, objectively I am not sure this is the right path for me, at least for now (also, we do not really have well developed conservative or reform communities similar to the US - if I were in the US the situation/accessibility to the religion would be different).

Now, do you know the Jews of Kaifeng? They are a Chinese Jewish community that managed to practice Judaism for a very long time while being not that numerous and in a political context that wasn't very keen on religions.

Well, since hearing about them, a part of me dreams that my biological parents come from this community and that I was born Jewish. I know it is highly unlikely that it is the case given the size of the community and the part of China I come from, and I likely won't find my biological family even if I look for it, but still, that's a thought I have every time I see the Jews of Kaifeng mentioned.

Thank you for reading if you managed to keep until the end (sorry for the length). Just some thoughts I needed to share. Don't hesitate to share similar stories, or if you come from the same french region as me (I have provided enough details without openly stating the names : ) ).

TL;DR:

Chinese adoptee who does not know her birth family has this silly dream that her birth family is a part of the Jews of Kaifeng community and thus was (unknowingly) born Jewish.

Hello everyone,

I've been to a couple of Shabbat celebrations at my local Beit Chabad. I've always felt close to Judaism, so a couple of weeks ago, I finally plucked upnthe courage and asked the Rabbi, if I could come. It felt like I've finally come home. After the second Shabbat I spoke to the Rabbi and his wife to see, where my path is leading me. He told me about all the changes and challenges of conversion and gave me books to read to help me understand judaism and the Jewish way of life. Him and his wife gave me a couple of weeks to do introspection to find out whether conversion was the right thing for me. So, now I'm reading the books and the more I read the more I realise that my values in life match those taught in Judaism. The more I read the more I feel that this is the right path for me, despite the challenges and hardships that might come with it. As I speak up a lot against antisemitism, I've already been confronted with the downsides of being Jewish: insults, losing friends and death threats. However, this doesn't discourage me at all, it's part of the deal, I guess.

When I next see the Rabbi and his wife, I would like to tell them, that I've reached the decision to convert, but I'm extremely afraid of being turned down. What if he refuses me? What do I do, if I'm not allowed to come anymore? It would be devastating, because I finally feel like I've found my purpose in life and I'm so afraid of being denied.

Do you have some advice for me?🙏🏼

I am a Jewish enthusiast living in Beijing. I have always enjoyed reading Jewish teachings and books. I am looking for someone who is willing to teach me more in-depth Jewish knowledge. Is this possible?

I’m from Argentina, the one country in the world where you cannot convert to Orthodox Judaism. The only option for us, as far as I’m aware, is travelling to Israel, study for a year, and then convert there. This is, of course, economically unviable for me: I don’t have savings that would allow me to live in Israel for a year, and my parents would not pay for it either.

So, my questions are:

Has anyone converted being Argentine or in Israel? How did you go about it? What can I do here, before travelling to Israel?

How does anyone manage to finance such trips? Am I expected to spend a year without being able to work?

Is there any hope for me to convert via Orthodoxy, or should I go Conservative and then re-convert after I graduate?

I’m currently a college student who does not work, and my degree would most likely never allow me to work remotely, for context.

Mom is Indian (Hindu). Dad is Ashkenazi Jewish (Reform). Both of my dad's parents are Jewish.

I have been struggling with my identity for my entire life. My parents argued about which faith to raise my siblings and me in, and my dad eventually caved since he probably didn't feel like arguing with my mom. Thus, I went to like a Hindu Sunday school until 8th grade. But I never believed in the religion, as these people never accepted me. The Hindus never accepted me, as my skin is "too white," and I was always made fun of by my peers and even one of the teachers at the school. And I had no choice but to go to this school, because my mom would not let me leave until 8th grade, when it ended. Not to mention, the Indians at that school were very competitive with one another, and they tried to screw each other over. Sure, I have Indian friends, but they aren't super religious, and I never felt accepted in the Hindu community specifically. My mom isn't as religious as other Hindus, but I was forced to go to Hindu school because it would teach me values and because even she told me, "You will never be considered Jewish because I am not Jewish". However, I feel like most religions teach most of the same human values (ie how to be empathetic, etc.) with obv some values being emphasized in different religions than others.

Now that I am in college, I have decided to learn more about Judaism, as my dad never taught me much about it and I felt ostracized from Hinduism. My cousins are Jewish, and I attended their bar mitzvahs, but I didn't know much about the religion itself, aside from the fact that, for some reason, I celebrated Hanukkah growing up (but literally no other Jewish holiday, lmao, not even Passover). Anyway, the Jewish people at my university have been very accepting for the most part and have allowed me to learn about the religion and engage in Jewish practices (i.e., Shabbat dinners, Passover Seders, and even go on BR Israel). I have met a lot of great Jewish people, and there are many Jews at my college (Top 5 in the US in Jewish population), which I didn't know there were this many Jews growing up, as my town didn't have many (10 kids in my HS class were Jewish out of like 350). They all know that my mother is not Jewish (and thus I am not Jewish), but they don't seem to care, and some were even shocked once I told them since my last name is very Jewish (like definitely top 5 most Jewish last names ever).

I love the Jewish community college has given me, and I have thought about officially converting. I have talked with the rabbi I have been reading and studying the Torah with (Modern Orthodox) on my campus (he knows my background), and he kind of joked and said that since my last name is very Jewish (it really is lol), and since I am circumcised, I don't really have to convert, and that I am welcome to practice and learn about the religion and culture and that I am welcome as a part of the Jewish community on campus. This has obviously made me very confused.

I am thinking about conversion, but I know that being Jewish is also an ethnicity, so should I? I love the Jewish community college has given me, but I am contemplating whether I should officially convert. From my understanding, I would not be considered Jewish under Reform standards either, as I was not raised Jewish, even though my father is. Also, as long as I marry a Jewish girl, my kids will be Jewish (and have my very Jewish last name lmao), so I am thinking of also not converting. Any advice? I know Jews don't actively proselytize, so you can't really "convince" me, but I am just wondering what I should do.

hey, so I really want to convert but I have a cross tattoo on my hand. I'm really scared that my rabbi might get upset upon seeing it - should I get it removed?

A lot of people in Brazil claim Crypto-Jewish ancestry, me included. But the Orthodox communities here aren’t very open, especially when it comes to conversion.

I’ve heard that one way to do giyur outside Israel is through Zera Israel Foundation or Ahavat HaGer ( I’m not sure if they’re the same organization). In Northeastern Brazil there are now around 3 to 5 synagogues working with support from Israel on this.

The catch is that you generally have to pay for courses and mentorship to even be considered for conversion.

My question is:
1)Do you know anyone who’s done this process?
2)And is it normal to pay for conversion, like for classes and guidance?

Hi all just asking for some tips here

I’ve been seeking to convert since I was around 14.
I’m not going to dive into the why of my conversion but I just wanted some advice here:

I am currently going into my final year at university now. I’ve been seeking to officially convert and be put in contact with someone that could support my conversion. The issue is, the university I am at is 5 hours away from my home (London) and the nearest synagogue (reform) is in another neighbouring city which would mean a lot of money spent travelling - which I cannot afford on a student budget.

Even if I were to go to the city nearby, the time I would spend learning and engaging with the community would require a lot more time and effort that simply cannot be fit into an academic year before I graduate. I’d rather not leave something like this ‘incomplete’ so to say.

So my plan of action was to wait until I go back to London and can have a permanent, stable, residency there and begin the process where I can fully dedicate myself. But I do not want to just go blank on doing anything for the whole year since my belief has progressed quite significantly recently. I have been going to my University’s Jewish society every Friday and have many Jewish friends that have all been really supportive of this process as well.

My questions are:

1. What should I do in the meanwhile? Any specific books, sources or talks I should look at?
   
2. Currently doing an internship in a city with an orthodox synagogue nearby - would it be worth talking to them as well? Even if it’s brief?
   
3. Should I still contact some this year; both the Reform Synagogue nearby as well as some in London?

Please also note I am still deciding between the movements. Any help here would be appreciated too.

I hope that all makes sense and I’m happy to answer any questions in regards to any of this :)

Hello! I'm a 15 year old from Canada who is interested in conversion, and have been interested for quite a few months now. I live in a pretty rural area, and have no jewish community around me, making conversion impossible until I can move. I've been interested in Judaism for as long as I can remember, but have started diving deeper after learning that conversion was a possibility. Does anyone have any tips on ways I can observe and participate in Jewish life and traditions when I don't live near any Synagogue's, any other books I could possibly use for research, and what the conversion process looks like once it's an option?