#reform conversion

[magnetothemagnificent]

Hi! WRT that person who sent an ask about being unable to afford conversion to Judaism, I just wanted to share!

My partner and I are in the process of converting to Reform Judaism, and we’re currently enrolled in the URJ’s Introduction to Judaism course. We’re also quite poor, and affording this class is certainly a challenge for us, but the folks at URJ have worked with us every step of the way.

If you don’t have the means to pay $450 for the course, perhaps $300 is more affordable (it’s only $150 to add an extra person, so if you can find a study buddy that would be $600 for the two of you, which is what me and my partner are doing).

URJ also offers payment plans, which is the only way we can afford the course! We worked together with a rabbi at URJ to put together a payment plan that will work for us. We didn’t need a discount, but they also do offer discounts and scholarships if you can’t afford the course even with a payment plan. From what I understand they really work hard to not turn people away due to money, and it’s always worth a shot to reach out to them!

Not sure if that person is hoping to convert to reform, but I just wanted to say that if they do want to take a course but are unable to afford it, there’s more options available to them than they might think! Of course there’s also tons of free resources online, but I just wanted to share this in case they were really hoping to take a class.

https://reformjudaism.org/learning/judaism-classes

Anyway, I hope you’re well! Have a great day! :)

Excellent resource!

[ask-jumblr]

im very interested in converting to reform judaism but i don't know where to start– more as in, i know i have to contact a rabbi to help me start, but i don't know how to start that email 🙇🏻‍♀️so i'm wondering what's a good way to ask about conversion in an email?

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[beautifullybirdy]

Shiva

I'm a member of a tiny LGBT independent minyan that meets monthly and one of the member's father died so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to attend a shiva. Of course while that selfish impulse is what got me to the house, what got me through the door was the knowledge that (unfortunately) I have a lot of experience with funerals and know what to say to be comforting. Julie was absolutely stunned that people who had never met her before would respond to the email and come support her. It turns out that she and her brother were the primary caregivers for her father, who had dementia as well as kidney disease and heart failure. She hasn't been able to attend a service in a year because caregiving took so much out of her. She was at services last night and she couldn't stop telling people how grateful she was that we showed up. ❤️

[journeyed-to-my-home]

Update

1. Started dating a guy I met at my rabbi’s pesach seder. He was raised Orthodox, practices along reformative lines, and is dyspraxic/ace. We’re a lovely neurodivergent couple (I’m autistic), if I do say so myself.

2. My rabbi seems to keep forgetting the amount of stuff I know, as well as forgetting what he’s told me (he said I would have my bd and mikveh by the new year, now he’s saying it’s far away and saying it’s fine to study with someone else), which is frustrating. I’m going to get bf to help me write up a list of stuff I know and present it to him to argue that I’m at a place where I can convert.

3. It’s wonderful to have someone to do holiday stuff with (even if most of what we’re doing is havdallah). We also get to have random conversations around halacha, where one of us ends up looking stuff up.

4. Started regularly attending a monthly Friday evening independent minyan. Also attending a Partnership Minyan shabbat service and will probably be returning (bf likes the familiarity of an orthodox service, but with egalitarianism b/c feminism is important to both of us).

5. The bf’s shul might be starting an adult hebrew class, which would be amazing. BF does speak modern hebrew so I can double check with him when I have a question about my independent study, but it’s not quite the same. And I’m pretty sure that learning how to write a language from a dyspraxic isn’t a great idea. :-p 

6. I’ve been staying overnight at bf’s most Fridays, which has meant that I’m able to attend morning services far more frequently. We’re also looking for places to live together (as roommates and a third person--we were thinking about becoming roommates before we started dating) and they’re all much, much closer to the “jewish” part of our city than where I am. 

Um... I think that’s it? 

Oh, Shavuot was lovely and the JCC had an event where everyone from Chabad and MO to Reform and Unaffiliated came and taught classes. It was really wonderful to see everyone come together like that. I just wish I had a time turner so I could’ve attended multiple classes per session.

[ask-jumblr]

I keep seeing "ask a rabbi" and I'm nervous about reaching out to one, and not sure how to do it, when to do it, or if it's appropriate. For context, I was not raised Jewish and recently decided to start my journey with the goal of becoming Jewish. (reform) I've been doing mostly independent torah study, reading resources online, and much more than I can fit with the character limit, but I need a rabbi involved and that raises a lot of questions for me. (part 1, cut for length)

(part 2) I live in a liberal city in the pacific northwest (USA) and there is a reform temple very close to me, which is of course closed currently. There is an email, to contact the rabbi, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate. They offer classes, and help people with conversion, but I can't afford the classes yet. I guess I'm asking: at what point in my journey should I seek out a rabbi, and from where? Is it appropriate to email the rabbi close to me if I can't start classes there now? 

Mod here. I think we’ve discussed a lot of adjacent questions on this blog, but checking out the conversion section in this blog’s Frequently Asked Asks page, it doesn’t look like most of your questions were specifically addressed! You certainly aren’t alone in these questions, anon, so thanks for asking them!

[ask-jumblr]

I'm planning to move in January, to a city with a reform synagogue, with the desire to convert. Is it acceptable to reach out before I even finalize my plans, before I'm actually in the city? It's actually all the way across the USA from where I am now. Obviously conversion/attending synagogue is still up in the air with Covid, and I'd like to know that as soon as possible, rather than waiting until I'm there to reach out. I could also use some advice on what to say if I do reach out. Thanks!

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[ask-jumblr]

[1/2] I'm a prospective convert and I'm kind of conflicted about something. I want to convert conservative. I've looked into different denominations and I really connect with a lot of conservative opinions and teachings and the like. My one problem is I love tattoos. I'm very passionate about tattoos and piercings. I have a few of both and I intend on getting more. There are few things in my life that bring me joy like tattoos. ctnd

[2/2] But I'm nervous that a conserv. rabbi would turn me away because of my feelings on tattoos, or that I might be judged by a congregation (that's less of an issue tbh, I'm used to being judged bc of my tattoos. but still not great). I've considered converting reform because I've heard they're on the whole more forgiving about tattoos, but I just don't connect with reform teachings like I do with conservative. Should I sacrifice tattoos? Would I be welcome in a conserv. synagogue if I didn't?

Mod here. While I know that you aren’t currently a conversion student, anon, if you reach that point you should definitely discuss this with your converting rabbi. Even if one or more respondents provide a similar answer to your rabbi’s initial (or ongoing) perspective, it’s important that you talk to your converting rabbi about this. For someone working with a rabbi towards conversion, that rabbi is supposed to be there to help them with questions like this as they build an authentic personal Jewish life.

Much thanks! (Todah rabah!)  !תּוֹדָה רַבָּה