Welcome to the process of conversion in Israel.
We hope your conversion experience will be stimulating, meaningful, and an opportunity to learn about Judaism and yourself.
Israel is the homeland of both the Jewish nation and the Jewish religion. Prior to converting, you might feel close to the Jewish people of today. By deciding to convert in Israel, however, you choose to join the historic Jewish people, and to adopt the heritage that guided it throughout the generations, in all its exiles. In doing so, you not only forge a new future for yourself, but you also begin to shoulder the load of a new past.
Conversion is a journey of affiliation and connecting, an opportunity to become better acquainted with the nation in which you wish to be included, and with its collective history. Many Jews have never had the chance to experience this process. If you follow the itinerary, you will have the chance to familiarize yourself with Judaism and its sources, study its values, commandments, and festivals, and personally experience traditional Jewish life by beginning to perform the mitzvot.
Some of you are considering conversion for one of the reasons that have led people to convert throughout the generations: you may admire and appreciate the Jewish people and its contributions to the world; you may respect its religion and values; or you may have fallen in love and wish to marry a Jew. Others, perhaps with a Jewish father or grandparent, want to intensify and/or formalize their identification with the Jewish people. Many such people already feel Jewish and behave like the Jews around them. They feel like full members of their loval Jewish community. Some even have sufferred for being a Jew -- even though not yet a Jew according to halacha (Jewish law). You may live in Israel, speak Hebrew, serve in the Israeli army, learn the Bible and Jewish history, and celebrate Jewish festivals. Your personal and national identity is one of a Jew. For you, formal conversion is simply the natural next step in the path you have followed all your life, from the moment you moved to Israel, or possibly even from the moment you were born to a Jewish father or grandfather.
The question of ‘Who is a Jew’ has occupied philosophers, rabbis, politicians, and legal experts from time immemorial and especially since the establishment of the modern Jewish state. Complex issues are bound up in this question: the nature and boundaries of legitimate Judaism, the rules governing membership in, or disassociation with Jewish and Israeli society, and determining who has the authority to decide these issues. The Israeli Law of Return, is a civil law that grants Israeli citizenship to children and grandchildren of Jews, but it does not afford them official personal status of "Jew", as is needed, for example, to have a Jewish wedding. The accepted position in Israel today, both by state institutions and by the overwhelming majority of the public, is that a non-Jew can become Jewish only through a religious conversion procedure.
ITIM is here for you!
This site is meant to familiarize you and your family with the conversion process and help you better understand its goals and its requirements. For those who choose to begin the process, this site will help you prepare for the upcoming period, and enable you to make educated decisions.
The Bible records that Ruth, the most famous convert in Jewish history, received the following blessing just after making her commitment to the Jewish people: “May the Lord recompense your deed, and may a full reward be given to you by the Lord of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge (Ruth 2:12).” We wish you the same blessing as you begin your journey.
Please feel welcome to contact the ITIM staff with any questions or concerns: (+) 972-2-648-2205 or, in Israel at 1-700-500-507. We look forward to hearing from you.
