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 The Talmudic Case for Conversion
The 2013 Pew Research Center report underscored the fragility of the Jewish future in North America and has led to anguished discussions and debates about how to reduce the number of Jews relinquishing Judaism and Jewish identification in favor of other options. But as dramatic as the 2013 Pew report was, it may be that…
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Opinion Meet the McJunkins (They’re Jewish!)
Alexander Rapaport (JTA) — Just in time for Shavuot, with its reading of the Book of Ruth about Judaism’s first convert, a Tennessee family of 12’s conversion to Judaism has prompted an outpouring of support from Brooklyn’s haredi Orthodox community. On Sunday, Sholom and Nechama (originally Chad and Libby) McJunkin brought their 10 children to…
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Opinion Israeli Rabbinate Should Learn From Shavuot Heroine
Russian immigrants to Israel / Courtesy of Alona Sibuk Her story is well known. She came from a foreign land where she lived like a princess. Despite a very questionable connection to Judaism, she chose to follow her mother-in-law to Israel. There, she lived in abject poverty, getting by only by taking charity. Even when…
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Opinion Why Is It So Hard To Convert to Judaism?
In February 2013, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, as fancy and important a place as its name suggests, floated an intriguing idea. In a sermon to his congregation on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Cosgrove urged the Conservative movement, his movement, to become much, much more welcoming to anyone interested in converting to Judaism….
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Israel News Israeli Jews Who Aren’t Jewish in Eyes of Rabbis Face Kafkaesque Conversion Plight
They live as part of Jewish society in the Jewish state, but the state itself does not consider them Jewish. For Israel, some 330,000 immigrants, mostly from the former Soviet Union, represent a big assimilation problem and a big political problem, made worse by the fact that the only solution for this largely non-religious group…
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Israel News Do Orthodox Rabbi Groups Hold Too Much Sway Over Conversion — in Israel and U.S.?
(JTA) — Even if you converted to Judaism under Orthodox auspices, your conversion may be called into question by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and the Rabbinical Council of America, the main centrist Orthodox rabbinical group in the United States. If you live in Israel, this means your ability to marry a Jew is in jeopardy….
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Breaking News Reality TV Star Alin Levy Speaks Out on Bizarre Conversion Fight
An Israeli television celebrity said the Chief Rabbinate is refusing to convert her to Judaism because of her acting career. Alin Levy, a 24-year-old reality TV celebrity whose Ukraine-born mother is Christian and whose father is Jewish, discussed her situation with Israel’s Channel 10 in an interview that aired earlier this week. She said she…
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Opinion Did Israeli Conversions Just Get a Lot Easier?
Immigrants from the former Soviet Union arrive in Israel. / Getty Images Did you hear about the latest coup for the Reform and Conservative movements in the Knesset? A new piece of legislation that passed the Law Committee today and is ready for voting in a few weeks will apparently bring closer a day when…
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