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About Me

Rabbi Chaim Coffman
Rabbi Coffman has helped people from all across the spectrum to prepare themselves properly for Orthodox Conversion to Judaism. His students admire his vast knowledge and appreciate his warm, personal attention and endearing sense of humor.
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Followers

Welcome to Rabbi Chaim Coffman's Blog!

I would like to thank you for visiting my blog, Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism.

The conversion process can be a lengthy and daunting one to say the least and I want you to know that I am here to help you through it.

I have been teaching newcomers to Judaism for over a decade and over the last few years I have seen that conversion candidates really lack the support and knowledge they need to navigate the conversion process and successfully integrate into the Orthodox Jewish community.

I created my mentorship program in order to help make this whole experience as smooth and as painless as possible! (Can't do much about the growing pains, though ;)

Feel free to get to know me a little through the posts on my blog and visit the mentorship and syllabus page if you are interested in possible joining us.

I sincerely wish you all the best in your search for truth and spiritual growth.

Looking forward to meeting you,
Chaim Coffman

My Rebbe, Rav Moshe Sternbuch

In case you were wondering why I have all of these articles written by Rav Moshe Sternbuch, he is my Rebbe, and one of the gedolei hador (greatest Rabbis of our generation).

Rav Sternbuch fully endorses me and supports my mentorship program.

He is the address for all of my halachic or hashkafic (practical and philosophical) questions that I or my students may have.

The articles are based on his weekly talks on the Torah portion that the Rav gives in Jerusalem in his kollel. As a member of the kollel I get first dibbs on the photocopies and I type them up for my blog so you can all benefit from the Rav's erudition and insight.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Conversion to Judaism Issues

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!

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