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 New Bill Would Entrench Orthodox Monopoly Over Jewish Conversion In Israel
(JTA) — The Knesset is considering a bill that would give an Orthodox body a monopoly over Jewish conversion in Israel, and American Jewish groups across the board are unhappy. The bill, which advanced in Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation on April 22, would create an independent Orthodox authority that would control all recognized conversions…
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The Schmooze Joshua Kushner Takes Supermodel Girlfriend Karlie Kloss To The Holy Land
Joshua Kushner, the prodigal son of the Kushner family (in the sense that ‘prodigal’ means loosely liberal) the founder of Oscar Health insurance, the man who some see as a modern-day-Moses figure, is currently cavorting around Israel (in the sense that ‘cavorting’ means ‘taking spectacular photos for Instagram’.) A proposal seems imminent. A conversion of…
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Fast Forward Amar’e Stoudemire Is Converting To Judaism
(JTA) — Former NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire has for years claimed to have “Hebrew roots,” studied Judaism and practiced its cultural customs. Now he is making the ties official by converting to the Jewish religion. Stoudemire, 35, told HBO sports reporter Jon Frankel at an event at Harvard University on Sunday that he is “in…
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Fast Forward Does Joshua Kushner Even Care If Girlfriend Karlie Kloss Converts Or Not?
Brothers Jared and Josh Kushner’s opposing political views have been reported since Trump became president and the older brother took office. Now, their potentially differing opinions on intermarriage are also coming into play, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd reported in a Sunday Review opinion piece. The column explored whether supermodel Karlie Kloss, who has…
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Fast Forward Conservative Rabbis Call On Israel To Admit Kenyan Convert
(JTA) — Conservative rabbis have called on Israel to allow a Kenyan convert to study at its yeshiva in Jerusalem. A visa application submitted by Yehudah Kimani last week was rejected by the country’s Interior Ministry. It is the second time that Kimani has been denied entrance to the country. “Kimani is a Jew, converted…
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News This Jewish Couple Overcame Infertility. Do Their Twins Have To Convert?
The Jewish parents of infant twin boys drove last summer from their home in the Washington, D.C., area to a summer camp in Pennsylvania to perform a conversion for their babies. It was a slightly embellished version of the traditional conversion ceremony: Since both boys were already circumcised, they simply recited a prayer, the Sh’ma,…
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Community What Every Prospective Convert to Judaism Deserves To Know
When you go to a doctor, you initially have to complete and sign a plethora of forms. There are the checkboxes for all imaginable ailments and diseases, and you begin to realize “Yikes! There are so many things in me that can go wrong, it’s a miracle that I even can read this thing and…
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Life There’s No Such Thing As ‘Half-Jewish.’ It’s Simply ‘Jewish.’
As a child growing up in Philadelphia, when adults would ask me about my religion, I would answer, with a smile, “I’m nothing!” This resulted in a polite smile mixed with pity and bafflement. My Ukrainian Greek Catholic mother married a Jewish man, as did two of her four sisters. My mom may have married…
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