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Advice on converting to Judaism (I read the side bar)

Hey everyone, I have thought about this for 7 years and talked to my jewish friends and I think I am ready. My freshman year of college, my friend invited me to Shabbat and it was an incredible experience. It felt so warm and welcoming and felt like family and that I belonged. I am black and to be honest, no one asked why I was there or who I was with and I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong.

I stopped going because I wasn’t jewish and at the time I was questioning my own religiousness. I have been to church, to a mosque and I have never felt a similar feeling to that day. I grew up secular and religion was never a part of my life, but the collective culture, unrequited love and shared experiences was palpable from when I walked in. I haven’t converted because I feel it’d be easier to just read about Judaism and learn Hebrew on my own, but I want the communal aspect of it as well and I want to give it a try. I also question whether I can be a jew not having the ancestral trauma or the experience of what it means to be constantly persecuted as a Jewish man or woman. All these thoughts have staved me away from even seeing if it was an option. I know I would like to be a reformist jew and I think about this a lot and now that I am 25 I thought I would at least see if I could in my community.

I was thinking of going to Shabbat today, but thought it might be best to go on a weekday and ask to speak with a rabbi as I was unsure if asking a rabbi on Shabbat was the best time to ask (since I am sure they have a lot to attend to and this might lead to a long conversation) or if I should go to a few temples on Shabbat before I find the right community for me and after a few months then go to the rabbi?

Would love your thoughts! Thanks/ toda everyone

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