Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of conversion, the process by which those of other faiths adopt Judaism. Most streams of Judaism, unlike many other religions, do not evangelize.
Conversion
The Latest
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Fast Forward Israeli Chief Rabbinate Will Review Rabbi Freundel’s Conversions
(Haaretz) — The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is reviewing the validity of conversions performed in recent years by Rabbi Barry Freundel, the Orthodox American rabbi charged with secretly filming women in his synagogue’s ritual bath, Haaretz has learned. “We are appalled by the accusations against Rabbi Barry Freundel and wish to stress that the acts attributed…
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Opinion The Rabbi Freundel Scandal Is Our Fault, Too
Rabbi Barry Freundel / PJC Media (Haaretz) — Kesher Israel, a prominent Modern Orthodox synagogue in Washington D.C., is reeling from a terrible scandal. Their rabbi, Barry Freundel, was arrested on charges of voyeurism and it is alleged that he installed a camera in the equivalent of a women’s locker room where he filmed potential converts…
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Fast Forward Israel Warns Against Gay ‘Conversion’ Therapy
Israel’s health ministry issued a warning declaring that therapies aimed at changing patients from gay to straight are not supported by medical evidence and could be harmful. Signed by Health Minister Yael German, Sunday’s decision adopts the position of the Council of Psychologists and the Israel Psychological Association. The health ministry statement warns that gay…
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Fast Forward Reform and Conservative Shuls Gain Ground in Israel
(Religion News Service) — At Beit Daniel, a Reform synagogue in Israel’s secular metropolis, 75 members gather for the Friday evening Sabbath service, led by a female rabbi and a guitar-strumming cantor. Long used to new faces and numerous Hebrew accents, the congregation these days is getting even more diverse. That’s because even as Israel…
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Opinion Jews Take Action Against Jewish Press Gay ‘Conversion’ Ad
p>Getty Images Young Jewish professionals have started taking action against The Jewish Press in response to their advertisement for JONAH International, the Jewish gay “conversion” therapy organization. Yesterday, as the social media outrage towards the JONAH ad on The Jewish Press’ website continued, Chaim Levin, a former JONAH participant and witness in the infamous lawsuit…
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News I’m a Jew Contemplating Conversion to Judaism
The Seesaw is a new kind of advice column in which a broad range of columnists will address the real life issues faced by interfaith couples and families. Join the discussion by commenting on this post, sharing it on Facebook or following the Forward on Twitter. And keep the questions coming. You can email your…
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The Schmooze 8 Reasons Luis Suarez Should Convert to Judaism
Luis Suarez, right, has been banned from the World Cup for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini/Getty Images In the most dramatic turn of events at the World Cup in Brazil so far, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez — one of the most talented players of his generation — has been banned from “all football-related activities” for four…
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Opinion Time for Jewish Evangelizing
If we’re serious about renewing Jewish life in the future, we must confront the challenge of evangelizing for Jewish tradition in public space. One of the reasons that the tension between the tribal and the universal in Jewish life isn’t addressed directly is because most Jews lack confidence in their knowledge of Jewish tradition to…
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News Scoop: Heritage Foundation plans to ‘identify and target’ Wikipedia editors
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Opinion What a remarkable Torah rescued from Iran — then LA’s fire — can teach about community amid devastation
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Looking Forward How a new ketubah helped one couple restart after the LA fire
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Fast Forward Biden team resolves its final Title VI antisemitism and anti-Arab cases
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Fast Forward These are the hostages to be released (and left behind) in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal’s first phase
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Music Bob Dylan joins TikTok — just in time for TikTok to be banned
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