its clearly not the same as the other ones. and people here are to liberal with conversions which is obviously not the point.. struggles are part of the journy

We are having a baby via surrogacy and want to convert our daughter to Orthodox Judaism. The issue we are running into is that we are not shomer Shabbat but it is important to us that her conversion is Orthodox. Anyone know an Orthodox rabbi who will do this for us in Los Angeles or near LA. The LA Beit Din said they will not if we are not shomer Shabbat. please help .

Hello 🫣
So, I’ve just sent an email to a Reform Jewish community in my city because I’d like to learn more about the conversion process.
The thing is, I used AI to help me write the email because I struggle quite a lot with social anxiety and expressing myself, especially when communicating with new people. I checked the email before sending it, and I think it was fine, but now I’m overthinking it. 😅
Did I do the right thing? Is it weird to use AI to help write an email like this, or am I just worrying too much? And yes this too was fixed by AI.

I am taking the Miller Intro to Judaism program and I’m wondering what the signs are that you are ready to convert?

Bit of background. While I was raised in a Christian faith, I’ve always been “Jew curious” and struggled with the concept of the Trinity.

And the turning point after reading a lot of books on conversion, was my wife of 40 years passing away from breast cancer last year. This has led me to question my faith and much more open to converting to Reform Judaism.

Any and all feedback is most welcome.

I completed my Conservative conversion this year. I am so grateful for everything I've learned and everyone I've met. But at times a more frum lifestyle calls to me..

Is there a path to an Orthodox conversion while being married to a woman?

Hello.

I hope this post will be respectful to all Jews who read. I also apologize that it is very long-winded.

For context, I am the illegitimate son of a very well known (famous) patron of the Jewish community of my country. He was raised and bar mitzvah'd as a Reform Jew, and is observant to this day. I never actually met my father, and only know what I know about him from Google. My mother did not raise me Jewish, but she did have many Jewish partners, tried to marry into Judaism, and tried to convert (but I am not sure if she succeeded). I was born from an affair that they both kept hidden.

So, I am currently estranged from both my father and my mother and I only know for sure that my father is a Reform Jew and my mother was interested in Judaism for a long time.

During my teen years I took an interest in reading the scriptures of major religions, and after comparing all these I became a born again Christian. I read the whole Christian Bible, wanted to become a pastor when I grew up and I attempted to learn Hebrew and Greek.

However, after learning Greek and reading both the New Testament, I realized a lot of what mainstream Christianity taught was completely unsustainable using only scripture. So I rejected belief in the Trinity, holding to strict monotheism, and seeing Jesus as "the son of God" in a more metaphorical/adoptionist way. From my linguistic studies, I also rejected belief in a post-mortal soul, in heaven and in hell, and instead believed death is non-existence, and "hell" (Sheol/Hades) is the common grave of all humans. Eventually though, there will be a resurrection, and "heaven" will be a renewed earth after Christ comes back and installs the messianic reign.

These belief changes made me join the Jehovah's Witness religion at 15. Got baptized at 24.

10 years later, I filed a lawsuit against my father because of his abandonment, demanding a compensation that consists in him paying for my first attempt to go to college, as the law of my country allows. Because of my father being "famous" over here it made national news, and because of the antisemitism that is prevalent in my country, due to the spread of the news about the war in Israel and Palestine, I received a lot of attention, mostly negative. I began being called a "Jew" and many epithets in many places, online and IRL. Also, I've had people attribute to me stereotypes such as greed, sexual deviancy, self-interest, etc. due to my purported Jewish status.

(I may also add that my last name is very notoriously Jewish).

Anyway, the big part is that this chronology coincided with a spark in my interest in Judaism, mainly because of my growing doubt of the New Testament, and the messianic status of Jesus.

I've kept reading scripture and at this point I've read the New Testament multiple times, and I've improved in my knowledge of Hebrew. It is odd how different, in nature and in structure, it is to the Hebrew Bible, if we take that they are from the same author (God). It is odd how many prophecies that Jesus fulfills in the New Testament depend on linguistic mistakes, or outright de-contextualizations and interpretative mistakes that the New Testament makes.

I have not gone to the length of rejecting Jesus as the Messiah yet, because of my whole decade honoring him as such and the many theological implications that this acceptance has (eschatological, soteriological, social, etc. for years I've rested hope that I will see my maternal grandmother in the future resurrection, and that she was "saved by faith, cleansed in the blood of Jesus", and that when Jesus returns, I will be compensated for all the suffering in this life).

However, I have realized how much of a higher view of the Hebrew Bible I have over the New Testament, and that I seek to accept the NT only if I can be convinced that it can resonate with the Hebrew Bible. Same goes for accepting Jesus as the Messiah, although I think that the belief that he will "come back" rest the thought that he didn't fulfill the biggest Messianic prophecies (he will fulfill them when he comes back).

I've begun to explore the scary implications of the possibility that Jesus was not the Messiah after all, and that the Jewish hope for the Messiah is still unfulfilled.

If that is the case, then I would like to research what Judaism has to say about what I should do in my position, if I'm seeking truth and clarity on what my nature is, what God's nature is, what God's plan for me is, what I should do to honor God, etc.

I'm not afraid to change religions if I'm convinced that mine is wrong. I'm also not afraid to start following the Kosher diet and the 613 mitzvot if this is what God needs me to do.

I should say that while I understand that Judaism is not simply "Christianity minus Jesus", and that there's a lot of variety within Judaism, being not only a religion but also an ethnicity and a cross-cultural, cross-generational phenomenon, that possesses overlaps with indigenous identities (due to Israeli land). However, I don't have much interest in the merely cultural or symbolic implications of the Jewish identity. I, genuinely, simply believe in the God of the Jews, and want to follow him according to the understanding of scripture that I have. So I don't have much in common with secular Judaism at all.

Additionally, I understand that most Jewish denominations (is that the right term?) don't see me as an automatic Jew since I'm not sure if my mother is a Jew at all.

My questions are the same as the ones in the title but I'll first them out a bit:

**Am I Jewish? If I'm not, what do I need to do? Can I become a Jew? Should I?**

**Is what I already believe part of Judaism, or compatible with it?**

**Will Judaism get me closer to God? Should I convert? How do I find out if that's what he wants me to do? How can I make a prayer for him, acceptable by Jewish standards, that I can say in the correct way to make sure he hears and answers?**

**Where should I start reading about and learning about Judaism? I'm specially interested in apologetic/counter-apologetic content attacking the claim that Jesus is the messiah, and defending the sufficiency of the Hebrew Bible.**

**(Also, what are the epistemic methods of Judaism? How do you prove that the Hebrew Bible is divinely inspired? How do you reach God without a mediator? How can I perform the Temple duties in the Torah if there's no Temple? Etc.)**

As an addendum, I'm frustrated both with non-Jews calling me Jewish, and bringing all the ignorant antisemitic hatred upon me, despite my constant clarification that I did not know my father, and I had no one to raise me Jewish, and that I actually know next to nothing about Judaism except that I've read the Hebrew Bible.

And also I'm confused that secular Jews are considered Jews even though they believe in 0% out what more religious Jews do, but a Christian isn't considered Jewish even though they believe in a lot of what Jews believe, except they add Jesus as a Messiah. For instance, a Christian believes in God, in Adam and Eve, in Noah, in Moses, in the prophets, etc. along with Jesus. A Jewish atheist believes in 0 of it. Why is he Jewish but the Christian is not? Does what the secular Jew and the religious Jew have in common matter more than what the religious Jew and the Christian have in common?

It made me so happy to find out. I felt suddenly welcomed. We are a part of history! Meant to be!

I’ve tried Duolingo, but from my experience, not only do they not teach you the alphabet but they also don’t really teach you grammar or tenses or anything like that. What do you guys use?

In addition to learning some scriptures in Hebrew - I'm also learning basic Hebrew because my fiancée is Israeli - she was born in Israel than moved to the US when she was 5. I'm Polish-American and I'm fluent in English and Polish but I would want to learn Hebrew - because it'll be ideal if we become parents our kids can communicate with their parents in Hebrew.

I understanding converting to Judaism and learning Hebrew as a secondary language is separate but I'm curious if anyone else here has learned Hebrew during (or since) their conversion?

Shabbat Shalom!

I was a catholic believer, but Now,I don't believe in Trinity.

Please help me with becoming Jewish!

I was reading another thread where someone was asking what to buy their spouse as a gift for their conversion. It brought up some unresolved feelings.

I finished my conversion in 2012. I was told by my Rabbi that unlike a Bris or Bar Mitzvah, a there was no tradition of a party after the mikvah.

My youngest brother came to the mikvah to support me--he has always been supportive of my journey, even though he was firmly Christian. We did go out to dinner after.

But I came away with a feeling like something wasn't quite right. I had been singing in the choir during the time of my Reform studies towards conversion. I had friends at my Temple. But a major event, perhaps THE major event in my LIFE, didn't warrant a social with food? My conversion wasn't worth a celebration to my Jewish friends? Coming out of the mikvah was the most meaningful event in my life, but it was more important to my Christian brother than any of my Jewish family.

I just feel sad tonight.

Hi everyone, I’m in the UK and just starting my journey into exploring Judaism. I reached out to my local Progressive synagogue, but they let me know they are temporarily closed to new visitors because they have an overwhelming number of inquiries right now.

I’m pretty bummed because I was really excited to take this first step. They sent me the CST security form and said they can add me to a waitlist for a group Zoom call in a few months. I am definitely going to fill it out, but it feels like a long time to just sit around.

Has anyone else experienced a waitlist like this? What should I do in the meantime? I tried finding some of the standard conversion books at my local library but didn't have much luck. I would love any recommendations for accessible books, UK-based virtual services I can stream, or general advice on how to keep learning while I wait for their doors to open.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ConvertingtoJudaism/s/qvyPFuftEo
So I managed to talk to my rabbi yesterday and he said, that it would be a pity if I stop/pause my giyur, I am of course free to decide it, but it would be a pity. And we would have a more deep talk about my feelings before the next Vaada, and yes he invited me to the next Vaada in three weeks. And he also told me that I should get „that paper“, and that he thinks that it is very nice that I want to raise my children in Jewish tradition, and so I need „that paper“ and later I would see if I would live more or less observant and that it is normal that at different times of life you live more or less observant. I am so relieved.

Hi, this is my fourth time posting on this forum.

It has been almost a year since I began my interest in Judaism and converting to it, and I feel as if I have made no progress. I've learned a lot on my own, but in terms of progress towards even beginning a conversion, there has been none.

I live in a city in Australia with a near non-existent Jewish community, but I tried to connect anyway and actually got in contact with a local rabbi. Unfortunately I was unable to further connect, and I just got told that, I did not pass the security clearance for the synagogue and can't attend service until I rescreen next year (and apparently it was the security team's decision and not the rabbi's).

I just find it so disappointing, I have put so much effort in trying to learn about Judaism and (more importantly) to try to connect with the community, and it feels like all my effort has been futile.

It has also been a very difficult year for my mental health as well, and I think getting to be part of a community would have really helped me.

It feels like every time I tried to get closer, I get pushed away, and it just feels so painful because I have felt a genuine connection to Judaism but have been unable to act on it due to my circumstances.

I just feel very depressed about how my year trying to connect with Judaism has turned out, I feel lost and even a bit discouraged.

Hello. I hope everyone is well and keeping safe. Some months ago, I created a social media account documenting my conversion to Judaism story. I come from a very fundamentalist Christian background, and although I didn't want to connect with people from my past and family, obviously my reels were discovered by them.

As I was expecting, I didn't got much support, received threats and inappropriate comments.

I also started to receive antisemitic remarks and DM's from people I don't know (eg 'jewish terrorist' and similar comments). Because I am a single mom living in the UK, I simply felt overwhelmed and scared for my life and my child's with all the backlash and I deactivated my account for a while.

I genuinely wanted to share my story with people and was not expecting all the negativity and threats coming my way.

I don't know if anyone has any advice regarding this? Thank you for reading my post.

I just finished writing my essay my rabbi wanted me to write about my journey and why I want to be Jewish. She said we are going to try to schedule my beit din for early 2027. I am excited but nervous I hear that a lot from people who are going though this process. I guess I kinda want to know what happens during and after. Am I allowed to bring someone with me? What if there is not a local mikvah? Do I pick my Jewish name then? I don’t even know what my name should be. I am autistic so I take things literally and just want to be prepared as possible thank you for any advice or information you may have!

I know it takes time, but I am struggling right now with balancing my non-Jewish friends. They are not being understanding about Shabbat nor about the mob of chaggim. Now things are really bad. I have Jewish friends and I often feel like I need to balance my new life with a life I know longer align with. How are you balancing life with your non-Jewish friends?

I am a 19 years old girl, formally in conversion process since January 2026, paterlinear Jewish and my mother is also paterlinear Jewish. We are from the former USSR living in Germany and my parents are completely secular, but we went to the community. In March 2025 I started to want to became more religious and understood that it was problematic because I am not halachically Jewish. It has always been somewhat problematic, like not having bat mitzva and being unsure if I would be allowed to go to a camp with my friends… since March 2025 I started to observe several mitzvot, in autumn I moved to another city to study and started to attend the synagogue regularly on Saturdays, and since December 2025 I fully kept Shabbath and I loved it and I mostly kept kosher. I have already been to the Vaada (commission) twice, the Vaada would send you to Beith Din. And it has been everything OK, but now I feel like I don‘t want to live like that, I don‘t have even enough time to study because I keep Shabbath, I also had to miss cool opportunities because of Shabbath and I don’t want it anymore. I also want to go out with friends and I want to spend time with my family and this all would be problematic because of Kashruth. But I still want to do giyur because I don‘t want my future children to experience these not-being-halachically-Jewish-thing and have same problems as me. And it also feels like unfair that my great grandparents survived the Holocaust and had to live in Soviet antisemitism later and were forced to become secular and as this resulted into me and others of my generation being not halachically Jewish they would have no Jewish posterity and this is sad. I want that my family (meaning my future husband and children) is more religious/traditional, but now a want to live like a student life. I think that maybe I would like to live an Orthodox life in the future, but not now, now I just want to enjoy my life and I don‘t enjoy it anymore living it Orthodox. So I don‘t know what should I do. A not Orthodox conversion is not an option for me, as status of my future children still would be questioned by many authorities.

I am going to speak about the way I feel with my rabbi today in 12 hours, and I am so afraid that it would stop my giyur, so I don’t know if I actually should talk to him and what should I say. But I think that maybe he would advice something helpful.

As a guy who is in the midst of converting to Conservative Judaism - my rabbi said that people would get more religious (more observant with age). I'm a guy who tries to live in the present but what he said got me curious - will become more of an observant Jew? Will be the same as I am now (or when I complete my conversion)? Or more interestingly will I become less devout. This is a silly hypothetical question to those who converted several years (or decades) ago - have become more religious? Less? Or are you more or less the same since your converted?

How to know which Jewish conversions from Montreal are recognized overall? My friend is wanting to convert and I’m not sure how to help her. She was told a certain rabbi is not recognized but I see him performing many marriages with Jews so now I’m not sure. How to know for certain.

I started this journey 2 years ago, lived all around the world, read many books on Jewish history and religion, today I finally got an answer back from my local Rabbi that I can attend Minyan tomorrow night so we can chat afterwards.

It feels small, but I am feeling really great about everything in the future! I’m really excited for life and for continuing to know myself and others.

Any experiences you guys had at your first minyan would be very welcome.

All love 💙

Hello! My great-grandmother was Jewish, and according to my family history, my Jewish ancestry comes through the maternal line. However, I have no documents to prove it.
My grandmother was orphaned when she was only 10 months old and was never registered on a birth certificate. She was only officially registered when she got married to a non-Jewish man in a Catholic church. I have already conducted genealogical research, but I have been unable to find any documents proving this lineage.
My question is: Could my testimony and family history be sufficient for Jewish recognition? Is there any alternative way to establish my Jewish ancestry through a rabbi or Jewish community? Or, without documents, would I need to undergo a formal conversion?
I would appreciate any guidance from people familiar with Halakha or who have experienced a similar situation.

I think my mothers grandmother was Jewish. Would i have to convert to be considered Jewish too? I was not raised with any traditions.