Converting to Judaism ?

[dustbunny]

What a fun thread! I hope there's room for an androgyne with seventy years experience being Jewish here. I was brought up in a classical Reform congregation and prefer that movement. I have also been an accepted member of Conservative and Orthodox congregations. The Orthodox are not all of one stripe. Since 2009, there is even an Orthodox woman rabbi, Rabba Sara Hurwitz, who I heard speak earlier in the month (along with the first women rabbis ordained by the Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative movements--What a night that was!). She, along with a group of other Orthodox rabbis, has started a school to train women and had 35 applicants for the first class.

The congregation I belong to now is affiliated with the Reform movement. Our rabbi, coincidentally, was ordained by the same seminary that ordained my wife. She is lesbian, with a partner and two African-American daughters. Our members include gay, transsexual, and--only one, I believe--an Asian-American. We include Jews by birth and Jews by choice with no distinction, and inter-married families. An ex-temple-president was a nun before she converted. In short, we are an open and inclusive group. A month ago, we had a service commemorating the Transgender Day of Remembrance that included a discussion of Talmudic and later passages indicating that gender non-conformity has been part of Judaism for at least 2000 years.

I am active in the local interfaith alliance as a representative of the congregation. When my wife was ordained, local priests, ministers, and lay friends traveled 200 miles to New York to join the celebration (she now runs the religious school in a nearby Conservative congregation). Several of them gave her a yad (Torah pointer) in a handmade case signed by each of them. We often have in our home not only Christian priests and ministers, but Muslims, Hindus, and, soon, we hope, our local Buddhist monk. My wife wrote in her blog after our Chanukah open house that I was the perfect rebbetzin (rabbi's wife) that day--I cleaned the house before and after the party and stood in the kitchen three hours during the party making latkes (potato pancakes) that were eaten as fast as I could make them.

I have attended services in congregations in the US from coast to coast, and in Canada, England, Holland, Italy, and Israel and have been welcomed without question in each. By Jewish law, a Jew by choice (the preferred term, rather than convert) is considered a child of Abraham and Sarah and must be treated no differently than a Jew by birth. It is only Israel, where attempts are made to legally restrict who is a Jew, or, in other words, which movements' conversions are legitimate in Israel. Jews, within and without Israel, have successfully fought those attempts thus far, but continuing vigilance is required.

Religion is not required for one to lead a worthy, happy, and fulfilling life. But, at least in Judaism, we have the opportunity to partner with God in creating a better world. And the food is good.

May the Force be with you, and you with the Force,
S

I have this feeling I could talk to you for hours. You're an androgyne and you're Jewish. I'm starting to feel less alone in the world.

[sarahla]

The nearest that I can see is that I do not see much difference between Born Again Christians, Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and other extreme religions.  All are for people like they are and against anyone who is different.  They are very anti LGBT, etc., etc.  Believing in Jesus or not is a minor point compared to other similarities.

[Simone Louise]

The nearest that I can see is that I do not see much difference between Born Again Christians, Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and other extreme religions.  All are for people like they are and against anyone who is different.  They are very anti LGBT, etc., etc.  Believing in Jesus or not is a minor point compared to other similarities.

I would put it a little differently. Those who know there is but one truth, and know what that truth is, cannot understand, cannot respect, and cannot tolerate dissent. I know a Hindu, who says he accepts all religions because each is included within Hinduism, and so we should all adopt the tenets and practices of his religion. The Reform Jew who refuses to allow others to wear kippot is as mistaken as Osias Zwerdling who came up behind me and clomped a yarmulke on my head in a non-denominational synagogue (because of him, a liberal synagogue was founded in that town). Atheists can be among the most intractable.

Three Catholic priests have long been close friends of my family. As exemplar, one, who is also a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of American, a yoga instructor, and studied at an ashram in India, always helps kasher our kitchen when he is in town. We console him over problems with his hierarchy and he encourages us. We attended his becoming a priest. All three participated in celebrations of my wife's ordination, coming from hundreds and thousands of miles to attend. All three are quietly supportive of alternative genders and sexual orientations.

However stated, it sure is hard to get along with those who refuse to.

S

[tekla]

Born Again Christians, Evangelical Christians, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Jews, and other extreme religions.

I think you need to look a little closer.  All of those things are not like the others.  Vast differences exist between them and within them, and at that I'm not even sure you are using the terms 'born again' and "Evangelical' correctly.  The Catholic Church has parts like say Opus Dei that are slightly to the right of the Third Reich (and I don't make that point lightly, it grew out of the fanatical conservative Catholics in Franco's fascist Spain, the same country that gave us The Inquisition) and yet the same church had priests, nuns and lay people who were leaders in the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-War Movement.  So it's hardly a monolith.  Hell, most American Catholics pretty much casually ignore the Church's most basic teachings on birth control and divorce.  To this day the most liberal people I've ever met were the Jesuits who taught me in high school.  Yeah, they are a bit hung-up on sex, but outside of an AA meeting I doubt you can find a more diverse group of people in terms of class, social standing, politics, and race than in a Catholic Church.  I bet I could have found Catholic churches in LA doing Christmas mass in 10 different languages today.  Easy.

Same with the Evangelicals (and technically all Christians are called upon to be Evangelical, i.e. to spread the Gospel), some are intolerant, others are extremely liberal and open and are trying to live up to that entire love one another deal as best they can.  I did a fund-raiser for a local church and they had gays and trans persons in the choir.

Like Jerry used to sing: Well, well, well, you can never tell.

[sarahla]

All religions have vast differences within them as religions are made up of people and people by nature can be very kind and very mean, not to mention selfish and self righteous.

Tekla, you mention that you have not seen a more diverse group of people.  I have no clue where you live or anything else about you, but I can say that the Catholic Church, like many of the extreme religions, are anti trans and only slightly better at gay and lesbian.  I have no clue what gay and/or lesbian means to  a pre-op trans person, so I will just say trans.

Okay, the Catholic Church is somewhat accepting of transsexuals, as I understand it, if and only if the person who converts does not have sex date or do anything else intimate with anyone else.  Even then...

I cannot speak for any other corner of the world, but here in what someone in my family has repeatedly called "The gay capital of the world," namely Los Angeles, which is hardly a gay capital, the extreme religions are just not trans friendly.  Chabad is anything but trans and gay friendly.  Let me see, words and phrases like "should all get put on an island" and "locked in jail" come to mind.  Yes, I did not talk to "every" Chabad person, but they make it a point to say that they are traditional and each is like the other.

I have talked to a couple Born Again Christians and they are nice to talk to, if one can say that, but they are uber, no to mention ultra, anti transsexual.

Yes, I am sure that there are individuals who are more understanding, but by and large many are not.

The Reform Jewish movement seems to be making strides towards LGBT acceptance.  There are Christian denominations that also accept LGBT or at least LGB.  I am not sure if the Episcopalian Church is trans friendly.

You did not mention JFK, but he was a Catholic and pushed Civil Rights, but I have no clue if he would have been for or against LGBT Civil Rights.

I still find it weird that T is in the same acronym than LGB.  I must be different.  When I was young and knew that I was a girl, how I wanted to have sex was not in my immediate thoughts.  I just wanted to be a girl, a real one.  The realization that that means having sex as a girl or boy just did not enter my head.  I was way too preoccupied just wanting to be a girl and thinking of girl things.  Yes, intercourse comes with the package and the alliance is a natural one now that I see it, not to mention helpful, but still.  Yes, off topic, but the time is almost midnight, so why not.

[Simone Louise]

You did not mention JFK, but he was a Catholic and pushed Civil Rights, but I have no clue if he would have been for or against LGBT Civil Rights.

JFK is ancient history, so I don't know, but Ted Kennedy was a practicing Catholic who pushed hard for LGB and T Civil Rights: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/27/kennedys-gay-rights-advoc_n_270192.html.

S

[sarahla]

Nice to know. :-)  I learnt something new about Ted Kennedy.  Thanks!