We’re proud of our welcoming and practical approach to prospective converts and mixed-faith couples. Several of our communities run informative and enjoyable conversion programmes.
Conversion is a major life decision with important implications for both the individual and community. Our programme of conversion is both supportive and demanding. Our aim is that by the end of the programme our candidates are knowledgeable about Jewish life, observant, participating and feeling at home in their community.
All Masorti conversions are supervised and approved by the Bet Din. As an affiliate of the International Rabbinical Assembly, we can help those who have converted with us if they choose to live in Israel or if they move to other Masorti/Conservative communities around the world. As well as straightforward conversions, we help people who have been brought up Jewish but whose halachic status is in doubt.
If you or your partner are considering conversion, your local rabbi will invite you to a first interview where you will be able to hear about our conversion programme in greater detail and ask questions. Once you are accepted as a candidate, our conversion process has three stages.
Through initial conversations, we assess a candidate’s suitability to our programme and whether conversion through our Bet Din is feasible.
At this stage, you will be expected to attend one of four synagogues’ conversion courses, learning about Jewish practice and beliefs, Jewish life, Israel and Hebrew. You will also be expected to begin keeping kosher, make Shabbat special in your home, attend synagogue on Shabbat, observe the major festivals and lifecycle events and engage in Jewish prayer. If you are in a relationship, your partner will also be expected to participate fully in the study programme. This part of the programme can take a year or longer, and concludes with a written or oral exam. You will also need to submit an essay on an appropriate topic.
You will appear before our Bet Din in London, have an interview, confirm your commitment to Jewish beliefs and practice and undergo immersion in a mikveh (ritual bath). This stage concludes with a ceremony and blessing. Male converts will also be expected to undergo circumcision.
For more information or to begin the process, please speak to your local Masorti rabbi. If there isn’t a Masorti community in your area, please contact Rabbi Chaim Weiner of the Masorti Bet Din.
For more information about conversion, please contact the European Masorti Bet Din.
