Mentioning that a person is a Convert to Judaism is Now a Mitzvah

Judaism is not a missionary religion, so Jews do not actively try to convert non-Jewish people (in many countries centuries ago anti-Jewish laws prohibited converting to Judaism). Despite this, the modern Jewish community does increasingly welcome would-be converts. A person who converts to Judaism becomes a Jew just as Jewish, or often more so, than someone born into Judaism.

More people in Israel have chosen to undergo conversions to Judaism through the Reform movement, and increasingly so after the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023.

The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that conversions conducted by the Reform movement would be recognized for the purpose of citizenship.

There is a good precedent for this. Ruth, the great-great grandmother of King David, was a convert to Judaism, and the book of Ruth in the Bible which tells the story of her becoming Jewish, is read every year during the services held on Shavuot (this year beginning on June 1 evening); the celebration of the Jewish People’s receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Although Jews do not send out missionaries, it is now a Mitzvah for Jews to welcome non-Jews who are interested, to study Judaism and to join the Jewish people if they so desire.

The worldwide Jewish community, now includes between 300-600,000 non-Jews who have become Jewish; formally by conversion or informally by acculturation into the Jewish people and its Jewish culture.

About 42% of married Jews have a spouse who is not Jewish. Among American Jews who have gotten married since 2010, that percentage rises to 61%.

According to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, American Jews are becoming more diverse, especially among younger Jewish generations. Compared to 8% of all Jewish adults, 15% of those ages 18 to 29 identified with a nonwhite category.

Most of these nonwhite Jews are converts to Judaism; and according to a very recent PhD thesis survey of 55 converts to Judaism in the Los Angeles area by Dr. Stephanie Cubba (one third of whom converted in 2023) 7% were African American and 16% were Latinx.

Also, converts to Judaism who are self described LGBTQ, made up 35% of those converting to Reform Judaism.

Previous to becoming Jewish 10% of the 55 converts were agnostic or atheist, 26% were spiritual but not religious, 25% were Catholic, and 39% were various types of Protestants.

Now as Jews 35% keep kosher at home, and 76% are members of a synagogue.

When asked about their motivations for formally converting 67% said that they were seeking a religion with room for questioning, and 25% answered that they had discovered their Jewish Ancestry through genetic analysi

Publicizing converts is a Mitsvah. Rambam in his letter to Yemen refers to the custom not to mention that a person is a convert to Judaism. The custom began centuries earlier in Christian countries where a person converting to Judaism was in danger if the word spread because the Church could and often did put him to death. In later generations and in Muslim countries the prohibition was expanded to tell those who were critical of converts to keep their mouth shut. This was the case in Yemen.

We who live in freedom can and should openly celebrate those who become Jewish. Indeed, almost 1/3 of Reform Rabbis now do a conversion service publicly as part of the congregational Shabbat service. I have been doing this for more than 30 years and it has always been inspirational for the congregation.

Also, many congregations feature converts who speak about their journey to Judaism and the University of Judaism regularly features a panel of converts who speak to each elder hostel that they run.

Publicly celebrating the Simchah of becoming Jewish is a wonderful fulfillment of the mitsvah to love the Ger. By the way in the last few years some of my converts have been sending their friends and family special invitations to attend the service when they convert. It is a great idea.

Since its inception, the Reform movement’s national outreach director Dru Greenwood says 45,000 people have completed the taste of Judaism course. About half were non-Jews. A survey of the first 2,000 graduates found that 14 percent of the non-Jews went on to convert.

And since 1986, Rabbi Neal Weinberg has directed the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. About half his students are non-Jewish, most of them involved in interfaith relationships. But growing numbers of his students aren’t involved in an interfaith relationship at all. More than 8,000 students have come through his course in the 15 years before 2002. Over 2,000 of them have converted. Moment Magazine 7/8 2002

And best of all in my eyes is that according to the Jewish Agency, more than 43,000 new immigrants from dozens of countries have arrived in Israel since the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023; 1/3 are between the ages of 18 and 35, and many of them are converts to Judaism.