Shalom Aleichem

[rachel89]

I'm Rachel from Indiana. To make a long story very short, I am a convert to Judaism and recently came out myself and another very accepting and understanding Jew as a transgender woman

[AndreaW]

Hi Rachel, welcome!  Very few jews here I guess.  In my case I am approaching transition, but not there yet since I am solving other issues before the HRT emotional rollercoaster...
Andrea.

[peky]

Shalom Sis,

Mazel tov on your conversion. How did the MIkvah felt ?

Yeah, there are no too many of us, but we chip in into the collective

Peky

[rachel89]

It's nice to know that I'm not the only Jewish trans person and that there is a community even if we are very very small.

The mikvah was a joyful experience, but at the same time felt very peaceful and calming. At the time I wish i had known myself better at the time because repeatedly daydreaming that you also come out of the mikvah as a woman is a pretty good sign that you might be trans. I have heard of reform ceremonies for transitioning that involve a mikvah. I think there are many parallels between becoming a Jew and transitioning. Although in the case of a transition, a mohel just won't cut it

[peky]

It's nice to know that I'm not the only Jewish trans person and that there is a community even if we are very very small.

The mikvah was a joyful experience, but at the same time felt very peaceful and calming. At the time I wish i had known myself better at the time because repeatedly daydreaming that you also come out of the mikvah as a woman is a pretty good sign that you might be trans. I have heard of reform ceremonies for transitioning that involve a mikvah. I think there are many parallels between becoming a Jew and transitioning. Although in the case of a transition, a mohel just won't cut it

It applies to every time we change in some radical way... the issue is when does the actual transition took place? When you decided to become a Jew, when you had your mikvah, when you went to beat din? when?  and it is finish? do we actually finish making the transition?

These are hard questions? Questions I have been pondering for many years....

In my case, my many transitions always happened instantaneously...

Now, when it comes to my GID... I never felt male at all, even thought I did assume and perform the role of a man.. yet I did never relinquished my innate female gender identity... so, I do not feel like I transition but rather abandoned the acting, and that also happened over a single afternoon when I decided that the time was at hand....

If you do not mind me asking you... what did propel you to become a Jew?

[rachel89]

The circumstances which led me into a shul basically sound like a series of accidents. I was just college and was trying to make new friends, and i met a some people who were roomies and got along well with them. one of them had an interesting background and was in the process of converting to Judaism (the others weren't Jewish). Basically something impelled me to ask if i could go to shul with him (maybe curiosity and something more than curiosity). The experience felt natural to me in a way that other religions and cultures didn't (Christianity lacked any sort of appeal for me for my entire thinking life). It is not any one thing, but many things. One them was an understanding of G-d that resonated with me. Another was the tradition of Jewish ethics and a very real concern for justice in the world.  Another was the Jewish way of study which involves intense questioning rather than simply reading something and taking it face value. Another is that your actions in the world count for than your beliefs about the next, which means there is plenty of room in this world and the next for people who don't share the same religion. The beauty of the Jewish rituals was also a part of my decision. Interestingly, I found out about some Jewish ancestors when I was in the process.
I believe a person who converts to Judaism is simply a Jewish soul put in the body of a non-Jew

[Christina Jean]

Hi I also attend a very liberal shul here on Portland.  I have Jewish heritage I am exploring but my transition precedes my joining a shul so I don't know who knows.  I am so happy though to have found my religious community.  I am not very spiritual, I am mostly  atheist but I adore Judaism .  I feel at home the way I did when I transitioned.


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[rachel89]

If you have an open an understanding community get involved ASAP if you your comfortable. An understanding rabbi can be especially helpful, as it has been in my case.

[peky]

The circumstances which led me into a shul basically sound like a series of accidents. I was just college and was trying to make new friends, and i met a some people who were roomies and got along well with them. one of them had an interesting background and was in the process of converting to Judaism (the others weren't Jewish). Basically something impelled me to ask if i could go to shul with him (maybe curiosity and something more than curiosity). The experience felt natural to me in a way that other religions and cultures didn't (Christianity lacked any sort of appeal for me for my entire thinking life). It is not any one thing, but many things. One them was an understanding of G-d that resonated with me. Another was the tradition of Jewish ethics and a very real concern for justice in the world.  Another was the Jewish way of study which involves intense questioning rather than simply reading something and taking it face value. Another is that your actions in the world count for than your beliefs about the next, which means there is plenty of room in this world and the next for people who don't share the same religion. The beauty of the Jewish rituals was also a part of my decision. Interestingly, I found out about some Jewish ancestors when I was in the process.
I believe a person who converts to Judaism is simply a Jewish soul put in the body of a non-Jew

Hi, rachel,

Thank you for sharing your story with us.... it is a very beautiful narrative indeed.... very few people get to hear the calling from G-d.

OO

Peky