Conversion To Judaism

The conversion to Judaism of adopting Jewish beliefs and rituals, and the abandonment of its own religious purposes. It also involves, beyond religion, is to be regarded as part of the Jewish people.

Historically, conversion meant the home of the 'stranger living in your walls "and confined to the adoption of special signs to the Jews, like circumcision for men, or the worship of one God and no picture.

With the advent of monotheistic faiths derived from Jewish texts, such as Christianity , or the same traditions, like Islam , but highly divergent, the conversion became more religious in nature. The focus shifted to what these religions do not share with Judaism, that is to say, many beliefs, including one that the Messiah is coming, and many practices, rituals and customs such as kashrut. The more or less strict adherence to these rituals and beliefs did not require unanimity among all streams of Judaism , so that the terms of conversion have varied greatly over time, and approach vis- towards her.

A convert to Judaism is called curing ( Hebrew : " proselyte fair "or" justice ") or simply Guer (proselytizing).

The terms and Gery Gerami are used in Russian for subbotnik a fringe of Sabbatarian Christians who eventually adopted all aspects of Judaism.

Summary 1 History Practice 2 2.1 In Israel 3 In fiction 4 Related articles 5 Notes and references

History

The Bible has defined the early Israelites as "people of Israel," and this from the Deuteronomy , a book that the majority of critical biblical scholar , having a direct relationship with God, "Forgive, O Lord! thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed , and occupying a territory, "the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess .

Although the Bible says "Thou shall not incur the point of marriage with these people," the question of the interpretation of this commandment was laid early enough. The marriage with non-Jews was generally rejected, but entry into the community of non-Jews has been converted to various positions.

According to the Bible, conversions are old, since it refers to the conversion of the Moabite Ruth , the ancestor of King David and the Jebusites under his reign. The Midrash also says that Jethro was the first Jewish proselyte.

In ancient times, Judaism was split into many sects, each sect having its vision of how to act against conversions. Thus, some groups, like the Sadducees , were opposed to conversions, when the Pharisees accepted them to some extent. The Jews of Elephantine (Egypt) practiced regularly intermarried, and their attitude vis--vis the conversion should be fairly flexible.

To 100 before the Common Era , the conquerors Hasmoneans Idumean converted the tribe of Herod.

Estimates that 10% of the population of the Roman Empire was Jewish (especially in the eastern part of the empire) can not be explained without conversions, and this time they actually seem quite numerous. Thus the Roman historian Dio Cassius tells about Jews that "other men .

The mass conversions also existed until the Middle Ages. For example:

• those of the Ural-Altaic peoples like the Khazars in the south of the current Ukraine ,
• after the end of the Roman Empire, that of a part of Ripuarian Franks and Swabians ( Schwaben )
• those of Berbers (Djeraouas of the Aures and Nefoussa of Tripoli).

In the twentieth ^century:

• Community Bnei Menashe , ethnic Mizo , in north-eastern India, part of which emigrated to Israel.
• Jewish San Nicandro (Italy), autoconvert before the war officially converted after the Second World War and then emigrated to Israel.
• Subbotniks of the former Soviet Union , many of whom emigrated to Israel.

To these are added to this group of self-help groups converted to more or less orthodox versions of Judaism, and generally not recognized as Jews by the traditional Jewish communities:

• Telugu Jews of southern India (a few tens).
• Black Hebrews , the United States and Israel (a few thousands).
• Igbo Jews in Nigeria (about 20,000).
• Abayudaya community in Uganda (about 800).
• Community House of Israel in Ghana (about 600).
• Jews "Incas" in Peru (a few tens).

The Christian states, then Muslims, unlike the previous states, made the conversion to another religion a crime (the apostasy ), making it virtually impossible in practice conversion to Judaism. These were continued, however, outside these two cultural areas, as evidenced by the appearance of the ancient Jews of China or Indian Jews.

Practice

The Orthodox Judaism , as it was structured around the Talmud , codified to some extent the conversion process.

The reasons for the recipient must be tested to reject candidates who wish to convert interest.

The candidate must demonstrate his knowledge of Torah and commit to practice all the mitzvot before a Beth Din.

After acceptance, the candidate must be submitted to the Brit milah then soak the Mikvah in the presence of the court. He then takes a Jewish name and will then be designated by name followed by the words Ben Avraham Avinu in the ritual.

Nowadays, the conversion candidate must complete a program of study of Judaism and integrate into a synagogue. The process takes from one to several years depending on the "quality" of the candidate and the requirement or rabbis that drive the conversion.

The convert then has exactly the same duties and rights as a Jew by birth, except for a ban converted to marry a Cohen. The Halacha forbids discrimination against converts.

The Reform Judaism has greatly relaxed the requirements for conversion, and they are not recognized by the Orthodox. They are, however, by the State of Israel.

In Israel

Israel allows two kinds of conversions, resulting in many religious and political conflicts.

Conversions performed abroad are recognized as valid under the law of return , regardless of the rabbi who has spoken, that it is a reformed or orthodox. The Orthodox also call for a long time to have a monopoly on conversions, and do not recognize those reformed. Parties ultra-Orthodox have regularly requested an amendment to the Law of Return prohibiting recognize as Jews people converted by Protestants, a requirement that has always been denied by the state, which does not intersect the powerful American Jewry , mainly reformed.

Conversions performed in Israel are against the monopoly of religious courts of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel (Orthodox), which has a reputation, even in Orthodox circles, to be of extreme severity. The newspaper Haaretz and speaks of "a long-standing perception that the rabbinical establishment is a slave to tradition ultra-Orthodox conversion making it difficult . Since 2000, the Israeli Rabbinate's religious courts have refused to recognize conversions performed abroad by some Orthodox organizations, considered too soft. This is the case of the "Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) . The RCA has finally yielded. In October 2007, "the agreement reached between the RCA and Amar gives the Israeli Chief Rabbinate practical control over the conversion process to the U.S. . The agreement does, however, that the RCA, and not other American Orthodox groups, let alone other reform organizations. And the State of Israel itself does not take account of these visions to his strict conversions.

The problem for the converted (Orthodox or Reformed) accepted by the State and rejected by the rabbinate is mainly that of personal status: difficulty to marry in Israel, denied burial in church cemeteries, etc. ...

This perception of the severity of the rabbinate has led to political protests or religious in Israel itself.

Politically, the government has consistently lobbied, unsuccessfully, to soften the position of the rabbinate. In fact, "More than 300,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union , "even if they are at least partly of Jewish origin. Many want to convert, and their position is supported by the government, but hampered by very strict opposition of the rabbinate. The problem also affects the Falash Mura , Ethiopian group partially or wholly of Jewish origin, many of whom live in Israel.
Many Israeli Zionist parties concerned to end the erosion of the Jewish majority and the formation of a large Jewish population but partially rejected by the rabbinate, potentially at odds with the state. "In spite of several decisions of the Cabinet calling for the establishment of a rapid process of conversion to accelerate integration in Israeli society of non-Jewish immigrants, only 2,000 people are converted each year on average . And fewer still are actually converted, after a process for years.

In religious terms, some Orthodox rabbis, especially the current religious-Zionist , have planned to establish instances of alternative conversions , more flexible option, however, require government recognition.
While the religious Zionists are historically linked to the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, they turned away during the 1990s, as and when the Chief Rabbinate of rapprochement with the Haredim. The creation of autonomous bodies conversion "is another step in the removal of religious Zionist rabbis vis--vis the Rabbinate, which would follow the struggles of recent months on marriage, kashrut and shmita ".

In fiction

Works of fiction dealing with the conversion to Judaism. This is particularly the case of the film The Tango Rashevski (2003), in which a character played by Hippolyte Girardot , in love with a Jewish rabbi meets a liberal to learn about this conversion. In the television series Sex and the City (the last episodes, 2004), one of the four heroines, Charlotte York, the incarnation of the WASP , wants to marry a Jew who has promised his mother on her deathbed that he would marry a Jew. To do this, it is converted, not without some adventures.

Related articles

• Who is a Jew?
• Religious conversion
• International Center for Jewish Conversion and Outreach interactive conversion guide

References