Orthodox Conversion Without Being Orthodox

Question

I was raised by my father and stepmother, who to me is my mother. My father and stepmother are both Jewish. My biological mother was not Jewish. All my siblings who are the flesh and blood of my stepmother are Jewish and one of them became religious. And the woman I want to marry is Jewish. I was raised fully as a Jew with no hint of any other religion, and I had a bar mitzvah. Everyone who knows me thinks I am Jewish. But Jewish law doesn’t consider me Jewish because my biological mother who died when I was an infant was not. I can easily have a Reformed or Conservative conversion, but I want one that is Orthodox. I want to be just like everyone in my family and community. Is there any way, any loophole, where I can have an orthodox conversion to Judaism but not be fully observant and still be myself thereafter?

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Answers

  1. While I empathize with your situation, I am not sure that there is a “loophole” out there. One of the most fundamental requisites for an Halachic conversion is that the person converting declares in front of the Beis Din that they accept Hashem as their God and that they accept and will live according to the Torah and the Mitzvos.

    Personally, I feel that the best thing to do is to approach a recognized Beis Din that deals with conversion and speak with one of the Dayanim there to see if there is anything that can be done.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team