Activity

Site Activity

deleted

  • RSS
  • Avatar

    Leah Elisheva posted on the forum topic Effects of conversion on your kids in the group Jewish Parenting  16 hours, 3 minutes ago · View

    My G-d, that incident with the Passover candy is atrocious!! You should say something to the teacher or administration if you feel comfortable doing so. Where I grew up, we had a significant Jewish population and we always had the first day of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur off. I am not certain how many students […]

  • Avatar

    Leah Elisheva posted on the forum topic Anti-Semitism as Rite of Passage? in the group Conversion  16 hours, 23 minutes ago · View

    I have had a great deal of firsthand experience with this, unfortunately and it absolutely strengthened my Jewish identity and pride to be Jewish. This was particularly so when I was in college, living with roommates who, unbenounced to me, harbored some antisemitic views. I am fairly conflict-averse and did not confront them as often as […]

  • Mychal posted on the forum topic Anti-Semitism as Rite of Passage? in the group Conversion  18 hours, 36 minutes ago · View

    When I was growing up, I’d hear people say, “Can I jew you down?” It was used to mean haggle. I didn’t even know it had anything to do with Jews. Nobody I knew ever said “Can I haggle you like a cheap Jewish person?” so I never made the connection. It wasn’t until I met a […]

  • Debbie B posted on the forum topic Just Getting Started in the group Conversion  18 hours, 46 minutes ago · View

    @Mychal,”Debbie, I have heard that some rabbis insist that people tell their immediate family members BEFORE conversion. I don’t know if my rabbi(s) would require that, but I can understand the argument that not telling people holds you back, in a way.” Well, at age 46 when I finally converted, it seemed that it would not be […]

    Avatar

    Karen posted on the forum topic The Jewish Burqa is the last straw . . . in the group Jewish Observance  19 hours, 18 minutes ago · View

    @Tara – Thanks for the welcome!  :)   I’m liking it here.

  • Avatar

    Mychal posted on the forum topic Just Getting Started in the group Conversion  19 hours, 56 minutes ago · View

    My mother is Church of God–which is further to the right on the evengelical scale than Southern Baptist, LOL. I know, because I was raised S. Baptist and my grandmother was Church of God. Her church scared me as a kid. Kari Ann, maybe this is something you need to do for more than one reason. Twelve […]

  • Debbie B posted on the forum topic Effects of conversion on your kids in the group Jewish Parenting  20 hours, 29 minutes ago · View

    @Karen,It is good that your kids are young enough that changes won’t be difficult. I guess that means that you do have an Orthodox day school in your area. RCA conversions do require a commitment to educate children in Orthodox day schools. The incident of the Passover candy is horrible! Any teacher who did that in our public […]

  • Tara McNamara posted on the forum topic To Cover or Not – Orthodox in the group Women’s issues  20 hours, 35 minutes ago · View

    I have a conservative convert friend who is more Orthodox-leaning than Conservative (long story – she, like me, found the requirements here in California to be too stifling to convert under those auspices) and she covered her hair prior to being married. She said it just “felt right” to her. The tradition is married women, yes, […]

  • Tara McNamara posted on the forum topic Effects of conversion on your kids in the group Jewish Parenting  20 hours, 41 minutes ago · View

    I am so grateful to have been raised in a more-forward thinking educational environment. I grew up playing dreidel along with the Christmas celebration things in school. Of course, we had a significant Jewish population, but to throw out the candy, goodness!

  • Tara McNamara posted on the forum topic The Jewish Burqa is the last straw . . . in the group Jewish Observance  20 hours, 43 minutes ago · View

    @Karen, precisely. I think all of the mitzvot practice is about being more mindful. When it becomes social pressure, the personal benefit becomes lost in keeping up with the Joneses and I HATE that. :) Also, welcome to the board, I am excited to hear your perspective on things as someone who attempted an Orthodox conversion […]

  • Avatar

    Karen posted on the forum topic Effects of conversion on your kids in the group Jewish Parenting  21 hours, 12 minutes ago · View

    My kids are 5 and 7 years old.  It is likely that the Beit Din that converts us will mandate that they attend an Orthodox Jewish day school, as my guy did as a kid.  I’m actually rather glad of that.  We’ve had several instances where our religious beliefs were not supported or even subverted in […]

  • Debbie B posted on the forum topic To Cover or Not – Orthodox in the group Women’s issues  22 hours, 1 minute ago · View

    @Karen,If you don’t mind my asking, how old are your children? Since that is a topic more properly discussed in the “Jewish Parenting” group, I’m starting a new thread there:Jewish Parenting > Effects of conversion on your kids

  • Debbie B started the forum topic Effects of conversion on your kids in the group Jewish Parenting  22 hours, 4 minutes ago · View

    I’m starting this new topic in response to my wondering about the effects of conversion of a new website member on her kids. @Karen,If you don’t mind my asking, how old are your children? This reminds me that I would like to propose adding an optional category to the member profiles about family members so that we […]

  • Avatar

    Karen posted on the forum topic The Jewish Burqa is the last straw . . . in the group Jewish Observance  22 hours, 10 minutes ago · View

    Sometimes it seems like all the major world religions are currently involved in a struggle to see which one can be more extreme and right-wing.  (Yes, this is coming from someone undergoing an Orthodox conversion.) For me, I can see the point of some of the customs regarding tznuis.  I’m actually looking forward to covering my hair.  […]

  • Avatar

    Karen posted on the forum topic Anti-Semitism as Rite of Passage? in the group Conversion  22 hours, 39 minutes ago · View

    Part of the prevalence likely comes from where I live.  The Orthodox synagogue in town has to have security people there for Shul.  I’m not sure if the conservative or reform Shuls have the same problem, but they have suffered anti-semitic grafitti.  I work in a place where sexist and racist comments are, sadly, fairly normal. On […]

  • Avatar

    Dale posted an update:   2 weeks, 1 day ago ·   updated 23 hours, 14 minutes ago · View

    Any suggestions on what to expect at an informal first meeting with a Chabd Rabbi?

    • Debbie B · 2 weeks ago

      Are you meeting with the purpose of seeking Orthodox conversion? I don’t think most Chabad rabbis are involved with conversion. Their movement’s goal is getting Jews by Birth to become more observant. My expectation is that he will say that non-Jews are assured a place in the world to come as long as they follow the much simpler 7 Noahide Laws, whereas following all ”613” mitzvot is much more difficult. He might also observe the ”turn away three times” tradition. If a Chabad rabbi does not do conversions himself and refers you to another rabbi, it is likely to be a center-to-right RCA rabbi.

      You should also know that Chabad has its own special kind of Orthodox Judaism. Lots of things are slightly different from the way other OJ do things: like the way they lay tefillin or the extra phrases they put in the Birkat Hamazon. I was certainly surprised by that in the benchers of a wedding I attended in which the officiating rabbi was a Chabad rabbi who had highly influenced the groom who had grown up in a Conservative home—born to a Conservative JBC mom, so I assume he ”re-converted Orthodox”. His dad was my son’s bar mitzvah tutor. The bride is Modern Orthodox and grew up just a few blocks from my home (but I don’t know her family).

      • Avatar Image
        Dena · 2 weeks ago

        Why are you meeting with him? The first Rabbi I met was from Chabad. We just chatted a bit. I’m married to a Non-Jew so I knew in advance that an Orthodox conversion wasn’t possible and Chabad doesn’t generally do them anyway. I’m not sure why you would meet with him so I don’t know what you can expect :-)

    • Avatar Image
      Dale · 2 weeks ago

      That’s just it… I don’t know why he wants to meet. We’ve corresponded a bit about the Svhavuot invitation I received and had to decline because I was already going to the services at Temple Beth Or, He invited me to another function last Wed which I was again already scheduled for a class at TBO, I told him I’d really like to visit the schul sometime but was rather intimidated by the Orthodox. He invited me to coffee, I reminded him that I was not Jewish and, though I love Judaism, try to be as observant as a non-Jew can be (there are certain things I wont do before conversion), attend TBO very regularly and study Torah and pray daily, and have an on-line Lubevitcher friend who has been very supportive and inspiring to my studies over the past few years who has me reading the Tanya, that I doubted I would ever be considered a conversion candidate by Orthodox , let alone Chassidic standards. He said it sounded like an interesting story, gave me his phone number and asked me to call and set up a meeting with him on Thurs or Fri morning. SO… I’m confused. SOmehow I doubt he’s been reading and impressed by my blog. lol. THought I’d ask around here because this seemed unusual for a Rabbi associated with an outreach mission to frum the JBB.

      • Debbie B · 2 weeks ago

        I have no idea what’s up. You’ll have to let us know what happens since we’re now wondering too.

    • Avatar Image
      Dale · 2 weeks ago

      @Debbie Thanks, I will. My best guess is that he made the offer before I reminded him I’m not Jewish & he didn’t want to revoke an offer made, that we will talk, he’ll give me the Noahide speech so common on Chabads web site, I’ll thank him for his time & that will be the end of it. But who but G?d knows. I am impressed with his courtesy.

    • Avatar Image
      Christopher Orev · 1 week, 6 days ago

      Indeed, I’m very curious!

      • Avatar Image
        Dena · 23 hours, 14 minutes ago

        So, did you meet him yet?

  • Avatar

    Dena posted on the forum topic Anti-Semitism as Rite of Passage? in the group Conversion  23 hours, 15 minutes ago · View

    I have not been in a situation where people say antisemitic things in front of my face. Honestly, I don’t recall ever really hearing antisemitic things from my friends or family. Now, on the internet I’ve had a lot of really nasty, hateful things directed at me but I’m fairly certain that if these people were […]

  • Avatar

    Karen started the forum topic Anti-Semitism as Rite of Passage? in the group Conversion  1 day, 1 hour ago · View

    I read somewhere else (can’t remember now) someone saying that they “knew” they were Jewish during their conversion process when they were the object of anti-semitic remarks.  While hopefully this doesn’t happen so often, I have noticed in my own journey how my relationship to anti-semitism has evolved and wondered if anyone else, particularly those further […]

  • Debbie B posted on the forum topic Just Getting Started in the group Conversion  1 day, 1 hour ago · View

    @Mychal,You responded “I don’t have to worry about her talking me out of this” But I didn’t mean that your loved ones would actually change your mind, only that it is better to not have them trying to talk you out of it as the starting place for the conversation. I think it puts them in the […]

  • Avatar

    Karen posted on the forum topic Just Getting Started in the group Conversion  1 day, 3 hours ago · View

    @Kari Ann – Ouch.  I was married to a Southern Baptist preacher’s son for 7 years.  I remember all too well the hatefulness and intolerance I experienced there.  My heart goes out to you and I’m struck by the strength you have in sticking to your faith even in such a hostile environment.  It really is […]

  • Load More