Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of conversion, the process by which those of other faiths adopt Judaism. Most streams of Judaism, unlike many other religions, do not evangelize.
Conversion
The Latest
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Opinion Conversion Ruling Chips Away at Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s Monopoly on Religion
(JTA) — The Israeli Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling on conversion is a truly historic decision – for Israeli and American Jewry. While the case only concerns a few individuals, the general rules and unequivocal language have wide significance for both Israeli and American Jewry. The ruling represents another blow to the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly…
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Breaking News Ultra-Orthodox Plan New Push To Bar Reform and Conservative Conversions
The two ultra-Orthodox parties in the Israeli government, Shas and United Torah Judaism, are planning to sponsor legislation to block implementation of last week’s High Court ruling that recognized private Orthodox conversions in Israel. It would also block recognition of conversions performed under auspices of the Reform and Conservative movements. The court ruling relates to…
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Breaking News Rabbinate’s Strict Rules Bar 660K Jews From Marrying in Israel
Prohibitions on civil and non-Orthodox weddings in Israel prevent 660,000 Jewish-Israelis — including 364,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union — from marrying in the Jewish state, according to a nonprofit promoting religious freedom in Israel. Hiddush presented the information in a report Monday to a Knesset conference on “alternatives to marriage through the [Chief]…
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Life The Israeli Men Who Return to Religion Due to Their Filipino Partners
Using the special Yemenite chant he learned decades ago as a young boy, Moshe Hizmi recites the Haftara portion that follows the weekly Torah reading, as a hush falls over the congregation. But the scene playing out on the podium this Shabbat at Beit Daniel, Israel’s flagship Reform congregation, is different from anything he remembers…
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Breaking News Jewish Foundation Makes Waves With Plan To Convert Gentiles
(Washington Jewish Week) — Maybe it’s the centuries of living under Christian and Muslim rule. Maybe it’s the history of forced conversion. Maybe it’s that there’s no religion requirement for the Jewish afterlife. Whatever the reasons, Jews have traditionally been uncomfortable proselytizing. But a Maryland foundation is flouting the taboo by funding outreach programs to non-Jews…
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News Lawmaker Makes Video Plea for Non-Christians To Convert — on Taxpayer’s Dime
MILWAUKEE — At first glance, the video looks innocent enough – a 50-year-old man, standing before a Christmas tree quoting the Bible and offering a religious Christmas greeting in which he urges non-Christians to convert to Christianity. The video loses its innocence, however, when one learns the speaker is Rep. Scott Allen, a Republican member…
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Breaking News Rabbis Tell Israeli Mom: You’re Not Jewish — After 30 Years
An Israeli mother whom a rabbinical court declared to be not Jewish said in an appeal that the judges failed to satisfactorily explain their unusual decision. Sarit Azoulay’s appeal, which she filed this month with the High Rabbinical Court, concerns a 2012 ruling by the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court that nullified her mother’s 1983 conversion to…
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Breaking News Catholics Should Not Try To Convert Jews, Vatican Says
Catholics should not try to convert Jews and should work with them to fight anti-Semitism, the Vatican said on Thursday in a major document drawing the Church further away from the strained relations of the past. It was the latest move on a host of issues, such as gay rights and re-marriage, that the Vatican…
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