Can a person become Jewish?

[carol_marie]

So I was talking with a friend and she said that a person needs to be born Jewish to practice that faith. She said that it’s not possible to convert and she said that rule went all the way back to OT times. She said the only exception is if you marry someone Jewish.

Is that true? It doesn’t sound possible to me - I gave her the example of Sammy Davis Jr. and she said he must’ve had an ancestor who was Jewish.

Can any of our Jewish posters answer this for me? Thank you!

 

[jesusluv]

That is not true, there are various accounts in the Old and NT where people turned to the Jewish Faith that weren’t born into it. The first Christians even fought over whether or not people had to become Jewish before becoming Christian.

 

[valient_Lucy]

So I was talking with a friend and she said that a person needs to be born Jewish to practice that faith. She said that it’s not possible to convert and she said that rule went all the way back to OT times. She said the only exception is if you marry someone Jewish.

Is that true? It doesn’t sound possible to me - I gave her the example of Sammy Davis Jr. and she said he must’ve had an ancestor who was Jewish.

Can any of our Jewish posters answer this for me? Thank you!

A Gentile can become Jewish by
1 Being Circumcised (if male). If the male is already circumcised, a drop of blood is taken from the scar from the circumcision.
2 Taking a Hebrew Name
3 A Mikvah, or a ritual bath.

It is not an easy process, and traditionally, a rabbi should attempt to dissuade a person from becoming Jewish at least three times before accepting him as a potential convert. This is not out of arrogance, but since a Jew is responsible for the 613 laws of Moses (wheras a Gentile is only responsible for the 7 laws of Noah) the rabbi must be sure that the convert is really serious about fulfilling the obligations of a Jew.
(Note: I am not Jewish so any of the above could be wrong, and I welcome correction from Jews on the forum.)

 

[Mr.Ex_Nihilo]

So I was talking with a friend and she said that a person needs to be born Jewish to practice that faith. She said that it’s not possible to convert and she said that rule went all the way back to OT times. She said the only exception is if you marry someone Jewish.

Is that true? It doesn’t sound possible to me - I gave her the example of Sammy Davis Jr. and she said he must’ve had an ancestor who was Jewish.

Can any of our Jewish posters answer this for me?

Thank you!

We’re discussing this already here…

 

[Valke2]

So I was talking with a friend and she said that a person needs to be born Jewish to practice that faith. She said that it’s not possible to convert and she said that rule went all the way back to OT times. She said the only exception is if you marry someone Jewish.

Is that true? It doesn’t sound possible to me - I gave her the example of Sammy Davis Jr. and she said he must’ve had an ancestor who was Jewish.

Can any of our Jewish posters answer this for me? Thank you!

Of course that is not true. Anyone can convert. And actually, converting because you are marrying someone is not considered a good reason.

 

[THutch04]

I don’t know the details, but I do know it’s possible, since I have a friend who just became Jewish last year.

 

[stillsmallvoice]

Hi all!

We do, of course, accept converts. But the conversion process can be long & arduous. Generally, someone who is thinking about converting should approach a LOR (Local Orthodox Rabbi & discuss his/her (the prospective convert’s) concerns. It is the LOR’s job to talk with the prospective convert, size up their seriousness & inform him/her of what being a Jew means (warts & all). The LOR will attempt to dissuade the would-be convert as part of his duty to ascertain her motives & see how serious he/she is (We learn this from Naomi’s threefold attempt to dissuade Ruth from following her, see Ruth 1:8, 1:11-12 and 1:15). Once the LOR is satisfied as to the genuineness & seriousness of the would-be convert’s motives, he will outline a course of intensive study (copying Naomi, who, once she understood that Ruth was totally serious, stopped trying to talk her out of it; see Ruth 1:18 ). This will include not just reading, but visiting an orthodox Jewish family, spending Shabbat (i.e. the Sabbath) and holydays with them, etc. After the LOR is satisfied that the prospective convert has studied enough, he will arrange for him/her to appear before a duly constituted rabbinical court (whether permanent or ad hoc), known as a beit din. When the three members of the beit din are satisfied that the would-be convert is both knowledgeable & sincere, they will sanction his/her conversion. A man will thereupon have to be circumcised; if he is already circumcised a drop of blood will have to be drawn from the glans of his penis (by someone specially trained!). The man will then have to immerse in a special ritual bath, known as a *mikveh *(see photos at mikvah.org/directory/mikvahPhotos.asp?pageNumber=9), in the presence of the beit din. A woman will have to immerse in the mikveh, in the presence of a duly authorized woman attendant. That’s it. The person (who will be given a Hebrew name, either in addition to or in place of the person’s previous name) is now Jewish & is usually welcomed with Boaz’s blessing to Ruth (2:12):

“The Lord recompense your work, and be your reward complete from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you are come to take refuge.”

See beingjewish.com/#conversion for three detailed articles.

Be well!

ssv

 

[carol_marie]

Thanks all. I was hoping you’d set the record straight, stillsmallvoice!

Blessings,
CM

 

[RCCDefender]

Claire Danes converted to Judaism a few years ago. I remember hearing her talk about it on the Late Show. I think you have to learn Hebrew, too…