# Help for a (potential) Jewish Convert **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225 "2005-01-29T02:18:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225/21 "2005-02-02T01:12:43Z")
Sorry to bump, but I wanted to clarify one thing. When I say; “Does Judaism want me?”, I know everything that **WeRSauron** said is true, and in the order he said it. What I meant was; “Would I be an asset to Judaism?” because **that** is what I really want, and that’s what I’m thinking and worrying about lately. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225/22 "2005-02-02T01:30:13Z")
> [@kung fu lola](#): > > What I meant was; “Would I be an asset to Judaism?” because **that** is what I really want, and that’s what I’m thinking and worrying about lately. If you’re Jewish and you’re setting a good example for humanity by being a kind and honest person, you will be a great asset. Haj ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225/23 "2005-02-02T01:52:15Z")
Re Coopting Judaism Conversion is a difficult process. When it’s over, nobody is going to call you a pretender because a branch of your family tree wasn’t wiped out by the Nazis. What Madonna is doing with her psuedo Kabbalah is annoying and demeaning. But when Sammy Davis Jr converted, Jews across America were thrilled that the CandyMan was now an Israelite. I can’t find the reference at the moment, but there is a teaching that G-d actually places a higher value on converts keeping the mitzvot than on those born Jewish. A born Jew is simply doing what they were always taught, and have always done. A convert has chosen Judaism, and given up much. Re Israel While the vast majority of Jews support Israel’s existence (there are some groups who claim that only the messiah has the right to form a Jewish state), you’ll find plenty of debate about Israel’s actions. For More Information I recommend Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225/24 "2005-02-02T02:38:49Z")
I converted to Conservative Judaism in early 2003. Email me at lindalee at ucscalumni dot com if you’d like. > [@Rebekkah](#): > > This might sound stupid, but can someone be Jewish and still question the politics of the current Israeli government? I know several Jews who do. > [@Rebekkah](#): > > Third. What if I don’t understand what God means? I know this sounds ridiculous, but I’ve never had a religious upbringing. All that I know has been learned through Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Studies in University. I still don’t know how I feel about the idea of a creator when I contemplate the misery I see in the world. Nonetheless, when I am troubled or confused, I find my mind turning toward an omnipotent being. I have prayed, but I don’t really know WHO I am praying to? I hope this isn’t too obscure. No, it’s not. I’m not really sure anyone knows what God really means- I don’t believe we’re capable as humans of really understanding God. What branch of Judaism are you planning to convert to? ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225/25 "2005-02-02T02:41:04Z")
[My response to **DocCathode** ’s post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5790166#post5790166). ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225/26 "2005-02-02T06:58:39Z")
I’ve been traveling and working too much to drop by here much lately, and I hate that I’ve missed some threads like this one that I’m particularly interested in. Most of what I’d say has been said, but as a convert to Judaism myself this is a topic I have some experience with. On becoming egnaged to a Jewish woman for whom raising her children as Jews was extremely important, I determined to learn as much as possible about Judaism, with no intention at the time of converting; my feeling about it was that being Jewish had been too important to too many people through the centuries, and had cost many of them too much, for me to cheapen it by undergoing a conversion simply to make her family happy or be able to be married by a rabbi. I respected what being Jewish meant too much for that. So I understand your concern about “co-opting” Jewishness, but I also understand that that’s not what I was doing and it’s not what you would be doing. The more I learned about Judaism, the more I felt drawn to it and that it was a religion that I could commit myself to. I realized early on, however, that if I tried to “earn” or “deserve” to belong, to be “worthy” of the sacrifices Jews have made for their religion through the years, and especially in the twentieth century, I was doomed to fail. All I could do was live the best Jewish life I could manage. As for Israel, I too have ambivalent feelings about some of the Israeli government’s policies, while supporting the existence of the State of Israel. One of the things I find most appealing about Judaism is the emphasis on questioning everything, especially the most important things. Which leads nicely into the question of the nature of God. Judaism asks that you believe that God exists, but allows for a wide range of belief about what that means. If you have other questions, I’d be happy to respond here or, if you’d prefer, e-mail a moderator to request my e-mail address. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-for-a-potential-jewish-convert/287225.md?page=1)