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Hmm...something about Shabbat makes me feel thoughtful, and something about feeling thoughtful makes me want to post here...

Are there any other converts to Judaism here? I'd love to hear your stories of how you came here...

I started my conversion when I was 13. I was finished by the time I was in high school. As a child, I watched Rechov SimSim (the Israeli Sesame Street) for hours on end. When I was seven, I told my dad I wanted a menorah instead of a Christmas tree. When I was 13, I went to my friend David's bar mitzvah...and I didn't want to leave. I felt more at home at the synagogue than anywhere else on earth. Church and Christianity left me feeling very uncomfortable, and while I had been exploring my options, nothing fit me the way Judaism did.

As it turned out, my birth mother was Jewish. I think that explained a lot. I always WAS Jewish...I just didn't know it. My conversion didn't feel like I was leaving one place and going to another. It felt more like I was waking up to the place I had always been. I might joke a lot about it, but Judaism is my home and there's no place I'd rather be.

I found out after the fact. Go figure. sweatdrop I probably would have still done a conversion anyway, because at 13, I kind of felt like I had something to prove. When I first met Rabbi Bob, he didn't really understand that I was serious about it...because...well I was 13. Kids aren't serious about much at that age. So I went through it, not just for myself, but to earn some sort of...I dunno...acceptance. I wanted to have some sort of spiritual awakening and official welcome into the community.

I'm a Reform Jew though, so in the eyes of a lot of people, I don't count anyway. Can't please everyone, I guess.

I still consider myself a Pantheist, in the sense that I think every religion is a facet of one gigantic Divine Truth, and that different people see the same Divine Truth through different facets. Judaism is just my facet, and when I talk and think about religion, it's usually through that scope.

I guess I was really lucky to have been born into an area with a strong Jewish population. I'm not sure what I would have done otherwise.

I'm not a convert, as I was born and raised in a Jewish family, and all of my relatives are Jewish, but recently, my brothers especially have become really lax on keeping certain aspects of Judaism, and I've grown to like it more. So, I'm a little similar since I'm trying to learn more about Judaism and such. :3

Ah. My apologies...I tend to be an extremely open person, and I often make the mistake of assuming other people are as open. It's a character flaw I'm working on.

I like sharing my story, and having seen that other people struggle through the process, I thought a place to talk about it might be welcomed.

Me as well, very much so. And I know the modesty thing will really save me a lot of trouble when it gets time for me to marry, but as of right now I like talking about it. People, and some Jews I know, like to say,"Well you aren't actually Jewish", and it is kinda upsetting, because they don't know. I guess people just don't understand that you're born with the intent to someday convert. Or atleast that's how I view it.

Thats horrible... I was born into judaism, but I dont put people down like that. People going through conversion, or having completed conversion are just as jewish as I am. And anyone that would try to put you or any other fellow jews down is stupid. Also, I think there has to be some kind of jewish law against putting others down..

With that said, in the synagogues I've been in, and in my past yeshiva experience.. A lot of the other people there would try to "out jew" my family, and somehow make us feel bad, as if we're less jewish. But I dont believe thats how judaism works.. I always thought that in this wonderful religion, you're not supposed to make others feel bad just because you have more knowledge.. But rather share the knowledge, and try to get others to join in on the fun time and good deeds.. An example of this would be like "HAHA! I can read hebrew faster than you! I'm a better jew!" (Something I got a lot in yeshiva, there are many examples similar to that..), my parents always got "Well, I'm a better jew than you, because we donate more to the yeshiva and the synagogue." These are just two examples of what we got.. :/

One time, my older sister had this boyfriend over for lunch of saturday afternoon.. And he came, and he wouldn't eat anything.. When we asked why he was like "Well, I'm not sure your food or home is kosher."

NOTE TO ALL - Don't do that. My mom went nuts on him. She started crying, and she threw stuff at him. He had to run out the door, and soon after my sister, who was also upset with him because he was being a schmuck in the past (he offered her drugs, ect.) , dumped him.

My family keeps kosher.. And my mom gets really offended when she cooks, and if someone doesn't eat it.

Regardless, I never let them get me down. Because I knew being mean like that isn't the right way to live, or practice the religion.

That sounds harsh... He should have gone on about how it's a great meal but he wasn't hungry or he felt like eating fruit... These things have to be dealt with carefully. It's actually forbidden to nose into someone's kashrus unless you have a reason to suspect them - and even then, you ask with respect, offer help and explanations - you don't blame or point fingers.

Good thing she dumped him... Sounds like a shmuck indeed!