BLOG, MY CONVERSION
How to start a conversion to Judaism

MARCH 04, 2021

 
​Converting to Judaism means bringing your Jewish soul back home and converting your non-Jewish body through immersion in the mikveh. The Torah mentions several times to “love the convert”. Here we see that a “Ger” is the convert, he has never been a “goy”, a non-Jew.

A conversion in the sense of the Torah means that a ger simply takes up himself the 613 mitzvot. However, in this day and age, the conversion is not that simple and the process of converting is quite complex. In my article “How to convert to Judaism in Israel''  I explain how to convert to Judaism in Israel. However, if you prefer to convert to Judaism in the diaspora, in this article I will guide you on how to start an orthodox conversion to Judaism in the country of your choice.

Depending on your country of origin, the rules for converting to Judaism vary. In some countries, a clear structure for conversions has already been established and in other countries, the process is still rather vague. But the way to start a conversion to Judaism is always very similar.

I have put together the following points from my many years of experience in accompanying converters around the world and now I want to share my knowledge and experience on "how to start a conversion to Judaism" with you. I am at your disposal for further questions regarding how to start your own conversion to Judaism.

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1. Ask Yourself if You Really Want to Convert to Judaism?

Before starting the conversion to Judaism you have to ask yourself if the Jewish observant life is the right path for you. A non-Jew can live a very spiritually satisfying life by keeping the Noahide laws and practicing Judaism without being officially Jewish.

Conversion to Judaism involves significant changes to one’s life and lifestyle, and can only be justified by a sincere desire to embrace the people of Israel, their faith, and practices. In its essence, Judaism affects every action a person undertakes during the course of the day from the moment one wakes up until the moment one goes to bed. The conversion to Judaism is likely to affect all aspects of a convert’s life. If you have decided that an Orthodox conversion is a right path for you I will share with you now the 8 steps of how to start a conversion to Judaism.


2. Find Out if There is an Orthodox and By Israel Recognized Beit Din in Your Country

The Beit Din is the rabbinical Jewish court. It manages all the Jewish conversion and other religious matters like marriages, divorces, etc. 

After completing the initial time of discovering Judaism you will open a conversion file at the Beit Din. The final step of the conversion to Judaism is the appearance in the Beit Din, which is a one-hour-long oral exam, also called “The Final Beit Din Meeting”.

Depending on your location, you must find out if there is an Orthodox Beit Din available in your area or near you for initial meetings and conversion application. These are the countries with an orthodox recognised Beit Din that does conversions: Austria, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA. (The information above is from the official list of recognized Beit Dins by Israel. Any other Beit Din might offer conversions that are valid in your community but not under the Rabbinate of Israel/state of Israel)

If you don’t have a Beit Din in your country, there are several ways to convert to Judaism. You can either relocate to a country with a Beit Din, convert in Israel (read here “how to convert in Israel as a non-citizen”) or you can learn and practice in your country and travel to another country for the Beit Din meeting(s).


3. Become a Jewish Community Member

In the meantime, also search for nearby Orthodox synagogues in your area (preferably within walking distance). The most important step of starting a conversion to Judaism is to join your local Jewish community as soon as possible. For most Beit Dins it is required that you are a community member for at least 1 year before starting the official conversion process.

Start attending synagogue services on a weekly basis and any other Jewish community events. Once you feel comfortable and have a relationship with them, you can even attend their Shabbat dinners and other holidays and events.

When I started my own conversion to Judaism in Spain I contacted the Jewish synagogue community and asked them if I can join their Shabbat service. I was lucky and they immediately invited me to come. Other people might experience rejection or no answer at all. I recorded a video on “how to become a member of a Jewish community”  that explains how to write a perfect motivation letter that has already opened the synagogue doors for many of my clients.


4. Find a Sponsoring Rabbi

In most countries, a conversion to Judaism requires a sponsoring Rabbi. In order to start a conversion to Judaism, you will need to be “sponsored” (assisted) by an Orthodox Rabbi. It can be the Rabbi of your new synagogue community or any other Orthodox Rabbi. 

When you want to start a conversion to Judaism contact and speak to the head Rabbi of your conversion plans, inform him about your motivation to start a conversion to Judaism to see if they will be available to assist you throughout the process. Make sure you research to ensure the Rabbi or institution with whom you are working is widely respected and that their conversions are recognised.

You may also ask your Beit Din for a recommendation. If these options are not available, don’t get discouraged, there are many other options available in other cities, countries, etc.


5. Find an Adoptive Family

Finding an adoptive family is important throughout your process of conversion to Judaism. One step of starting your conversion to Judaism is being guided by a Jewish observant family that guides you into Jewish observance and hosts you for Shabbat dinners and the Jewish High Holidays. There are applications available like Shabbat.com which can help you find Jewish families and Shabbat dinners in your area and even meet new friends. 

I found my own adoptive family on Facebook. In Israel, it is the easiest thing in the world to find a family to spend Shabbat with because Jews love having guests over at their Shabbat table!

Your adoptive family will eventually accompany you to your final Beit Din meeting.


6. Start Studying About Judaism

Begin your conversion to Judaism by researching and studying Judaism. You can find helpful information, book recommendations, and online sources in my article on “how to start learning about Judaism”. 

You may learn with your sponsoring Rabbi, another Rabbi, a private Judaism teacher, a Yeshiva, an online course, or by yourself. The Beit Din and the Rabbis require basic Jewish knowledge before starting an official conversion to Judaism.

You can learn about every conversion-related topic by watching my 50 Judaism class recordings or participate in my weekly Judaism online classes. I teach about every conversion relevant topic of Judaism in a one hour session (History, Halacha, Mitzvot, etc.)

At the start of your conversion to Judaism you should especially focus on these topics:
  • Shabbat
  • ​Kashrut
  • Blessings
  • ​Jewish Prayer
  • High Holidays
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7. Start to Observe Judaism Step by Step

My suggestion is to start applying and practicing everything you learn in your daily life. This is the best way to start observing Jewish law. You can also find a lot of helpful information in my article: “how to start keeping kosher” or in my free Judaism recording “how to start observing Judaism”.

If you are unsure about anything and have any questions you can always book a check-in meeting with me here.

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8. Build Jewish Connections and Collect Recommendation Letters

It is important throughout your conversion to Judaism to build connections with Jewish families, friends, and organisations who will accompany you in your process of becoming Jewish. 

You can not only learn from them how to practice the Jewish lifestyle, consult with them your questions, observe Shabbat and High holidays together, but also receive valuable recommendation letters for the Beit Din from them. Besides that, you can volunteer in Jewish institutions, join my WhatsApp group, start a learning group or connect with several Rabbis from different cities/countries.

When you start your official conversion process with a Beit Din you will have to provide several recommendation letters to the Beit Din from observant Jews who know you (5-8 letters). These letters will reinforce your involvement through your conversion to Judaism process. 

These letters could be from your Rabbi, Rabbanit (Rebbetzin), your Judaism teacher, Jewish friends, from the Jewish community, and me! (Jewishbychoice provides recommendation letters to people who participate in our weekly Judaism classes or signed up for our conversion coaching program)

If you have any questions regardings your own conversion to Judaism feel free to contact me or to book a free call with me.

By Galya Yebra & Ilana Schiffner

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1 Comment

SOPHIA N.
MARCH 04, 2021

This helped me so much! The whole blog is such a great help for us Ilana. I recently contacted a Rabbi.

    Leave a Comment

About Me

I am Ilana! 
​German, 28 years old, converted to Orthodox Judaism, currently living in Israel. Fascinated by Torah, Spirituality and Jewish values.
​Today I share my experiences on my blog and assist people in their conversion process. I teach weekly Judaism classes and offer professional conversion coaching.

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