#conversion student

[muddyclump]

Jewish Positivity Posting! I'm TAing my community's conversion cohort, the students had their 2nd class yesterday where they presented creative projects to show what they've learned about the Shema. OMH. There's photography here, stamp art, collage, clay, fanfic, analytical essays, hardcore translation, poetry, video editing, calligraphy... Struggling, Accepting, Practicing, Diving Deep Into, Dwelling! It's so beautiful seeing all these perspectives of people who are striving to be proudly Jewish! And as I only finished my conversion a few months ago, revisiting these assignments to help them study and then seeing it through their eyes- just WAOW!

[prof-grace-aspen]

Almost cried during Intro to Judaism last night, in a good way. The rabbi was showing us some of the Torah scrolls the congregation has. One of them is an old Ashkenazi scroll that was stolen by the NAZIs during WWII and later rescued. The rabbi explained that while this particular scroll didn’t count as kosher anymore they still brought it out for life events like births and weddings and bar mitzvahs because they wanted to show it nice things since it had seen so much pain in its past.

And lemme tell you I almost cried right there. The tears were in my eyes and they were stinging but I managed to hold back!

[meanderingdownthelongroad]

i love you visibly jewish jews. i love you jews that keep tzniut. i love you jews that wear tichels or head scarves. i love you jews that wear tallit katan and who openly and proudly wear their tzitzit. i love you jews that wear kippot. i love you jews that wear chai or magen david necklaces/earrings. i love you jews that are open and proud.

as a conversion student i see you. and i want nothing more than to be just like you one day.

[lesbian-fig]

Yes I did plan a giant sewing project for my conversion assignment this month and yes I did realize too late that my machine needs to be serviced and yes I will now be both hand sewing an entire garment AND covering it with embroidery…. in one month. Wish me luck and RIP my hands!

[irresponsiblereader]

met with my rabbi this morning and we set a date for my beit din and mikvah. have some things i need to do in the interim (write a personal statement, get a tallit) but things are starting. excitedterrifiedecstatic abt it.

[wrestlingwithlethe]

sighs bc im curious abt judaism but i live in southeast asia so theres only 1 synagogue in the country (which isnt very responsive to inquiries), the intro to judaism classes i see online are expensive, the shabbat services and torah study i cna attend online are usually at inconvenient hours of the night... sigh.

[becomingjuwuish]

So, a lot happened in very little time. A beit din was convening today, and about a week and a half ago my rabbi asked if I wanted to take advantage of the situation and go, about a month earlier than scheduled.

My beit din/mikvah was today and I'm Officially Jewish!

I'm literally so happy, it's been such a long time coming and I feel so much love and support all around me, it's fantastic.

It was my sponsoring rabbi, the lead rabbi from my intro to Judaism class, and a rabbi I had not met before but was lovely.

They asked me about my journey, what I had struggled with, how I incorporate Judaism into my life, and how I feel connected to my community. It was a pleasant conversation, and I had no need to be as nervous as I was.

Then, after getting the okay, I got ready for the Mikvah. It was several moments of reflection. Feeling the water go over me in the shower and feeling fresh was when I reflected the most. (I was nervous about being completely naked, but no one saw me outside of the water!) I said a prayer, and then stepped out and told the rabbi that I was ready!

My sponsoring rabbi said a beautiful blessing for me! and then I went down the seven steps, counting them as I did so. I floated in the water, and I was handed the sheet with the prayers on it. (The rabbi that was the "mikvah witness" was so sweet and respectful, she put a scarf over her face, and only watched to make sure my head went under the water) I said the blessings in between dips, reflecting on the past and hoping for the future. The rabbis sang a song of mazel tov for me(behind the curtain) and then I was given some moments of privacy and quiet in the Mikvah. I teared up then, because I was so happy and proud of myself.

I got dressed, and when I came out I hugged the rabbis and was given a rainbow kippah by my rabbi (he apparently saw it and thought of me) my mom was there too! She wasn't in the room for the beit din, but was able to hear me dip in the Mikvah, and then talk and celebrate with the rabbis while I was getting dressed.

I got to celebrate with my friends as well this evening! It was overall a wonderful day and I wouldn't change anything. I'm so happy and over the moon that I'm finally a part of the Jewish people, after years of hard work and studying.

[thatonekid-gotakunerd-blog]

the imam at my school offering to separate the meat and milk when he cooks for curry friday if he knows I’m coming <3

the chaplain at my school asking if she can help me find a rabbi and telling me I’m still welcome at church-hosted social events even though I no longer go to worship now that I’m converting <3