Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Conversion to Judaism Issues
8:50 AM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
Why is it that there are people interested in converting to Judaism but they don't end up finishing the process? Not only that, the ones who do start the conversion process, do not end up finishing the process!
There are many obstacles that converts to Judaism go through that sometimes they are not able to overcome. One of them is family issues. Many times family, who still may be of a different religion, may try and convince the potential convert to come back to their "old" religion and not to convert to Judaism. This puts a lot of pressure on the potential convert and sometimes family pressure can really be difficult.
Another potential problem is the issue with fitting into a community. The pressure of wanting to fit in and always being under the microscope by people in the community even after the conversion is finally over! This makes the potential convert feel self-conscious and always being looked at.
There are also issues in communities that the potential convert sees and wonders why they want to be part of the Jewish people in the first place. This is how religious Jews act? Why all the negativity from people? This can grind on people as well which can confuse and dissuade the potential convert to Judaism.
Another important issue that makes life difficult for the potential convert to Judaism is money. Moving into a religious Jewish community means that it will undoubtedly cost more money. Kosher food is more expensive, schooling is expensive....This can put a tremendous strain on the family.
At the same time, to be an Orthodox Jewish convert, you have to live within walking distance of a synagogue and there must be a number of Orthodox synagogues and schools in the area, to be part of a thriving Jewish community.
These are but a few of the problems that a potential convert to Judaism may go through but if one wants to succeed, they must be vigilant and strong in their beliefs and actions to persevere the conversion process!
There are many obstacles that converts to Judaism go through that sometimes they are not able to overcome. One of them is family issues. Many times family, who still may be of a different religion, may try and convince the potential convert to come back to their "old" religion and not to convert to Judaism. This puts a lot of pressure on the potential convert and sometimes family pressure can really be difficult.
Another potential problem is the issue with fitting into a community. The pressure of wanting to fit in and always being under the microscope by people in the community even after the conversion is finally over! This makes the potential convert feel self-conscious and always being looked at.
There are also issues in communities that the potential convert sees and wonders why they want to be part of the Jewish people in the first place. This is how religious Jews act? Why all the negativity from people? This can grind on people as well which can confuse and dissuade the potential convert to Judaism.
Another important issue that makes life difficult for the potential convert to Judaism is money. Moving into a religious Jewish community means that it will undoubtedly cost more money. Kosher food is more expensive, schooling is expensive....This can put a tremendous strain on the family.
At the same time, to be an Orthodox Jewish convert, you have to live within walking distance of a synagogue and there must be a number of Orthodox synagogues and schools in the area, to be part of a thriving Jewish community.
These are but a few of the problems that a potential convert to Judaism may go through but if one wants to succeed, they must be vigilant and strong in their beliefs and actions to persevere the conversion process!
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