As Jewishness is considered primarily ethnic and the religion of Judaism does not seek converts,[8] prospective converts must complete the arduous process without the support present in universalist religions like Christianity or Islam. It is traditional for an individual requesting to begin the process to be denied three times by a rabbi to test their sincerity or even be denied entirely.[9][10][11][12] Even once the conversion process has begun, an individual is not guaranteed to be converted if they do not meet the expectations and requirements of their sponsoring rabbi and Jewish court.[13][14] Once a valid conversion is completed, it can never be undone and the ger is forever considered to be Jewish, even if their observance waivers or they attempt to convert to another religion.[15][16][17][18]
Jewish converts, unlike Christians and Muslims, are not simply considered believers in Judaism, but rather full fledged members of the Jewish people. Due to this, some prominent rabbis, such as Rabbi Shlomo Goren, have taken the stance that religious belief and observance is not the sole determining factor in becoming a member. However, others, such as Rabbi Saadia Gaon, held that “our nation is a nation only by virtue of its religious laws”, indicating that religious belief is a core element of the Jewish nation.[24]
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, a prominent Dutch-Israeli rabbi and ger tzedek states, regarding conversion, that:
A Gentile who converts to Judaism miraculously becomes part of the people of Israel. Unlike with Christianity, this does not just mean that the Gentile now shares the beliefs of Judaism, but rather that he or she literally becomes the seed of the Avot and Imahot. For this to happen, a quasi-biological miracle is required. The Gentile needs to be reborn as a direct descendant of Avraham and Sara.[25]
Individuals from a vast array of ethnic and religious backgrounds have become Jewish throughout history, leading to a degree of genetic and racial diversity among the Jewish population as a whole. Regardless, Jewish law places no value in genetics or physical attributes in determining whether or not an individual is or is not a Jew.[26][27][28][29][30]
History
Depiction of King Dhu Nuwas, an Arab convert to Judaism.
Non-Jews have been joining the Jewish people for thousands of years, with one of the earliest instances being Ruth, an ancestor of King David.[31]
It is estimated that a significant portion of the genome of diaspora Jewish groups is of non-Israelite genetic descent, indicating that these communities accepted in many converts following the expulsion of Jews from Israel by the Romans.[34][35] These converts were fully assimilated into the Jewish people, adopting all aspects of Jewish culture and identity.[36]
Prospective Jewish converts must undergo a rigorous process which bears similarity to both naturalization and a religious conversion. Traditionally, this involves moving into a Jewish community, a year or more of Jewish education under a rabbi, meeting with a recognized beit din (Jewish court), and going through with the final rituals (which differ between males and females slightly).[42][43]
Converts generally are advised to adopt the minhagim (such as Ashkenazi or Sephardi) of their sponsoring rabbi or community, however many also choose their own minhag independently.[44][45]
Distinctions between born-Jews and gerim
There is no distinction between born-Jews and gerim in the eyes of traditional Jewish law, in most cases.[46] The few distinctions that do exist are that a ger cannot sit on a Jewish court in many cases,[47] a ger cannot marry a Kohen (Jewish priest),[48] and a ger can never be in a position of absolute authority over born-Jews (such as becoming a monarch).[49]
Convert status does not extend to the children of converts, as they would be considered born-Jews.[50]
Opposition
Throughout history, there have always been Jewish figures who opposed conversion and converts for a variety of reasons.[51] As Jewish conversion is not a right, but rather a privilege, arguments against conversion range in reasoning from the possibilities of watering down traditional Judaism to issues regarding the absorption of newcomers into an identity and culture entirely foreign to them.[52] Other arguments cite convert's potential zealotry when observing mitzvot (commandments), thus creating an atmosphere of denigration towards born-Jews who aren't as stringent.[53]
Traditionally, there exists no distinction between ethnicity and religion in Jewish culture.[54] Even the modern concepts of ethnicity and religion were not present when Jewish civilization first emerged, making concepts such as "ethnic Jews" and "religious Jews" nonexistent in ancient sources.[55][56]
Similar to the concept of Roman citizenship and Hellenic identity, Jewish identity is one that encompasses a wide range of ethnic, religious, tribal, and national concepts which work together in tandem to form the entire framework of Jewish identity.[57][58] As such, Jewish identity is regularly categorized as an ethnic, religious, or mixed identity when utilizing modern Western understandings of peoplehood.[59][60]
In Israel, all Jews are defined as ethnic Jews, regardless if the individual was born Jewish or converted.[61][62]
Race, much like ethnicity, is not a concept found in traditional Judaism. The concept of a Jewish race is one that emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. Skin color and other physical features are not determining factors in regards to Jewishness.[63][64]
Around the world
A Subbotnik man, with tefillin and tallit, in the early 1900's.
Groups of Slavic Christian peasants began to appropriate certain elements of Jewish culture and religion beginning in the 19th century, resulting in persecution and deportation under Tsar Alexander I. Called Subbotniks, many eventually converted to Judaism, and settled in the Land of Israel.[65]
Groups of Subbotnik Jews still exist in formerly Soviet countries, such as in the village of Privolnoye, Azerbajian.[66]
Many researchers believe the Beta Israel, much like the Subbotniks, adopted a Jewish identity without formal conversion or were converted by Jews from Yemen who settled in the region during the Middle Ages. Genetic research has shown the group to be closely related to the Cushitic-speakingAgaw people,[67] however other research indicates an Israelite origin of the community.[68]
During the Middle Ages, it is believed the nobility of the Khazar Khaganate converted to Judaism. However, the claim is doubted by many researchers. Though there was a confirmed presence of Jews in the kingdom and the existence of Khazar gerim, notably a diaspora community in Spain after the fall of the Khazars,[69] there is no confirmed evidence of mass conversion to Judaism.[70][71]
Although rare, mass conversions to Judaism have occurred in the United States. For instance, in Show Low, Arizona, 21 individuals converted in September 2023.[75]
Since 2016, about 3,000 people convert to Judaism every year in Israel through programs approved by the Chief Rabbinate. Between 1996 to 2021, 101,609 individuals have successfully completed approved conversion programs, with most being Soviet immigrants who were not halakhically Jewish (often times only having one Jewish grandparent).[76]
Reuel Abraham - German-Israeli former Luftwaffe pilot during World War II who, after witnessing a massacre of Jews during the Holocaust, feigned illness to get out of combat, donated money to Jewish victims, and made aliyah from Germany.[79]
David ben Avraham - Inspired by his grandfather's actions during the 1929 Hebron massacre, in which he saved 25 Jews, Ben Avraham converted to Judaism. He was subsequently jailed for his conversion by the State of Palestine. Ben Avraham was killed by an IDF reservist who believed he was possibly a terrorist during a time of heightened tensions during the Israel-Hamas War.
