Some of these stories point out the difficulties that lay on the conversion path. Contact Dawn! She can help. And there is no fee for this service. dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org ALSO, if YOU have a story, send it to us!
I asked another soccer mom on my kids' team who I knew was Jewish what temple she went to and how she liked it. Then I called the synagogue and asked if they had beginning Judaism classes. The rabbi said no - that I should just come to Shabbat.
It took me 6 months to work up the nerve to go to a service. I emailed an on-line anonymous Rabbi with my stupid questions during the 6-month period until we went to an actual service. Finally the on-line Rabbi said - go to services, already, when they say Shabbat Shalom say Shabbat Shalom back and everything will be fine. And it was.
When we went we got love-bombed by the temple president and educator. It was an overwhelming but good feeling. Both of them turned out to be huge supporters of us (my husband and myself) on our journey to Judaism. What can I say... it's a tiny temple and when strangers walk in they are hopeful you will join.
We had to take the initiative to talk to the Rabbi at that point and as I recall we made an appointment to meet with him in his office. We joined the synagogue within a week of attending our first service. Oneg Shabbats for the first couple months were also pretty intense. We stood out because we were new. When people asked where we attended before we would just say we hadn't affiliated yet. An assumption was made, I think, that we were perhaps interfaith - since people would remark repeatedly that our last name wasn’t “a Jewish name".
We were definitely a curiosity. The first time someone not already married to a Jew wanted to join and convert apparently.
I do love my rabbi from that shul and he was a great Rabbi to convert with. I have to admit, however, he was pretty curt on the phone during that first encounter and while he greeted us when we arrived that first Shabbat, he did not acknowledge my prior phone call at all. I did all the approaching to him.
Once we told him we were serious about wanting to convert (which was right away when we started attending), then he started meeting with us.
I asked another soccer mom on my kids' team who I knew was Jewish what temple she went to and how she liked it. Then I called the synagogue and asked if they had beginning Judaism classes. The rabbi said no - that I should just come to Shabbat.
It took me 6 months to work up the nerve to go to a service. I emailed an on-line anonymous Rabbi with my stupid questions during the 6-month period until we went to an actual service. Finally the on-line Rabbi said - go to services, already, when they say Shabbat Shalom say Shabbat Shalom back and everything will be fine. And it was.
When we went we got love-bombed by the temple president and educator. It was an overwhelming but good feeling. Both of them turned out to be huge supporters of us (my husband and myself) on our journey to Judaism. What can I say... it's a tiny temple and when strangers walk in they are hopeful you will join.
We had to take the initiative to talk to the Rabbi at that point and as I recall we made an appointment to meet with him in his office. We joined the synagogue within a week of attending our first service. Oneg Shabbats for the first couple months were also pretty intense. We stood out because we were new. When people asked where we attended before we would just say we hadn't affiliated yet. An assumption was made, I think, that we were perhaps interfaith - since people would remark repeatedly that our last name wasn’t “a Jewish name".
We were definitely a curiosity. The first time someone not already married to a Jew wanted to join and convert apparently.
I do love my rabbi from that shul and he was a great Rabbi to convert with. I have to admit, however, he was pretty curt on the phone during that first encounter and while he greeted us when we arrived that first Shabbat, he did not acknowledge my prior phone call at all. I did all the approaching to him.
Once we told him we were serious about wanting to convert (which was right away when we started attending), then he started meeting with us.
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