Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups Frequently Asked Questions and Answers URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/18-07-04.html

www.scjfaq.org/faq

Question 18.7.4:
For Further Information: How do I start the conversion process?

This varies from place to place and rabbi to rabbi. Most larger cities have a community class. Smaller cities rely on the rabbi. In any case, contact the rabbi at your congregation or a local congregation. If there is no rabbi contact the local congregation and they will put you in touch with someone.

If you need help, or are unsure about walking into the synagogue, there are some rabbis on the net who will be glad to talk to you about this important step. You can contact any of the rabbis listed in 18.7.3 above; in particular, you might want to contact Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff <apn@shore.net>. Rabbi Nemitoff is the immediate past chair of the CCAR Committee on Conversion and a member of the UAHC/CCAR Commission on Reform Jewish Outreach. He can also be reached at:

Another rabbi who has expressed interested in talking to individuals interested in conversion is Rabbi John Sherwood <rabjms@earthlink.net>. Rabbi Sherwood is Past President of the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, and has been an adjunct professor at St. John's Roman Catholic Seminary teaching a graduate course on Judaism to men studying for the priesthood. He is also the author of a curriculum for Introduction to Judaism. Another resource is Rabbi Don Weber <75065.263@compuserve.com>, +1 908 972-2595. Rabbi Weber is on the UAHC Regional Outreach Committee, and has spoken on conversion at HUC and at meetings of the Reform Rabbinate. He is a member of the NJARR beit din, and says that he follows quite traditional practices regarding conversion.

The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your questions. If it doesn't, please drop Email to questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer will endeavor to direct your query to an appropriate individual that can answer it. If you would like to be part of the group to which the maintainer directs questions, please drop a note to the FAQ maintainer at maintainer@scjfaq.org.

© (c) 1993-2004 Daniel P. Faigin <maintainer@scjfaq.org>