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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Fast Forward Trump Shrugged At Ivanka’s Conversion: ‘She’s A Big Girl’
It’s not all traditional politics in Chris Christie’s forthcoming book, “Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics” — the former New Jersey governor also reveals a conversation he had with President Trump over his daughter Ivanka’s conversion to Judaism. In the book, due out January 29, Christie…
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Fast Forward Neo-Nazi Who Named Baby After Hitler Tried To Convert To Judaism
A British neo-Nazi who named his baby after Adolf Hitler — but who had attempted to convert to Judaism before fully turning toward hate — has been sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for being a member of an illegal hate group, The Jewish Chronicle reported Tuesday. Adam Thomas and his wife Claudia Patatas were…
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Fast Forward ‘Ivanka’s Rabbi’ Makes Israel’s List Of Recognized Overseas Rabbis
Following a six-year battle, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has finally made public the lists of overseas rabbis it recognizes for the purposes of conversion and divorce. This year, Ivanka Trump’s rabbi made the cut. The lists only contain the names of Orthodox rabbis, because the religious institution does not recognize other Jewish movements. The conversion and…
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Community Stop Stripping Female Jewish Converts Like Ivanka Of Their Agency
In a New York Times article this weekend, Amy Chozick and Hannah Seligson wondered, “Are Jared and Ivanka Good for the Jews?” There’s plenty there to dissect, but what caught my eye was how they described Ivanka Trump, “who converted to Judaism to marry Mr. Kushner.” This is typical of how the media describes women…
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Fast Forward In First, Israeli Court Recognizes Private Conversion To Judaism
JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli court ordered the Interior Ministry to register as Jewish a woman converted by a private Orthodox conversion court. The decision by the Jerusalem Municipal Court was publicized on Thursday. The woman’s conversion in the summer of 2016 was performed in the Giyur K’Halacha court, which was founded three years ago and…
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Life The ‘Other Shidduch Crisis’: Dating While Convert
For regular consumers of Jewish news, the phrase “shidduch crisis” needs no explanation — the phenomenon of Orthodox singles, usually women, facing difficulties finding suitable spouses. But for converts, the struggle of finding a mate takes a strikingly different form, and goes to the very heart of one of the Jewish community’s most important obligations….
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Community I’m A Jew of Choice And My Wife Is A Jew Of Color. We, Too, Are Questioned About Our Judaism
Judaism and identity have a long and complicated relationship. No two Jews have the same answer for what Judaism is, much less for who is a Jew. The Tablet Magazine revelations regarding 28-year-old Congressional hopeful Julia Salazar, who identifies as an immigrant and as a Jew of Color, have been eye-opening for a number of…
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Opinion Julia Salazar’s Lies Are An Insult To Converts Like Me
Since the revelation last week that Julia Salazar, a candidate for New York state senate, misrepresented her Jewish identity, a firestorm has engulfed Jewish social media. Fundamental questions of identity have come to the fore, and the question of who is a Jew at the center of the firestorm. As someone who has myself converted…
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Music For Bob Dylan’s biographer, ‘A Complete Unknown’ is a dream come true — even if it’s mostly fiction
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Fast Forward Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize winner behind ‘Maus,’ plans graphic novel about Gaza
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Books This devastating story of a hidden child during WWII will change how you think about France and the Holocaust
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Film & TV From Germany, a ‘Sopranos’ set in the world of a Jewish delicatessen
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Fast Forward Some Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are facing war crimes inquiries over their Gaza service
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Fast Forward First-ever Solomon Schechter day school in North America goes Orthodox
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Fast Forward Far-right party founded by former Nazis is tapped to lead Austria’s government
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Opinion Four years after Jan. 6, pardons for rioters would be an insult — and threat — to Jews
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