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<blockquote data-quote="FunkyBird" data-source="post: 2593009" data-attributes="member: 847142">A lot is dependent upon your family, of course; if they&#039;re very strict, they may be unhappy for a while, but most families will eventually come around.&nbsp; Depending on the branch of Judaism you convert in, you may or may not have to learn Hebrew (it&#039;s really not as tough as you might think); if you convert with an Orthodox rabbi, you&#039;ll probably have to learn it, but if you convert Conservative or Reform, then you will likely just learn to read enough to make it through services - and even that isn&#039;t a lot.As for telling your family, I would suggest simple things like leaving books you are reading lying around so that they&#039;ll get the picture that you&#039;re interested; there&#039;s no need to slap them in the face with it all at once (not that I&#039;m suggesting that you&#039;d want to).&nbsp; I would suggest reading. Judaism places a strong emphasis on learning, both for information, and for its own sake.Some of the books I would suggest:&quot;Choosing Judaism&quot; by Lydia Kukoff&quot;Every Person&#039;s Guide to Judaism&quot; by Stephen J. Einstein and Lydia Kukoff&quot;Choosing a Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends&quot; by Anita Diamant (a good one to leave around when you&#039;re ready to hint to others that you&#039;re serious about going through with it)&quot;Basic Judaism&quot; by Rabbi Milton Steinberg&quot;The Sabbath&quot; by Abraham Joshua Heschel (a bit tougher than the others, but very valuable in conveying the &quot;flavor&quot; of Jewish thinking)&quot;Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity&quot; a collection of essays, also by Heschel; a comparatively difficult read, but valuable; take it in small &quot;bites&quot; and don&#039;t try to rushThere are many, many others; I suggest simply reading what appeals to you.I would be remiss if I did not tell you that Judaism does not teach that you have to be Jewish to be a good person and acceptable to God; we do not seek converts, but we do accept them.Shalom.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FunkyBird, post: 2593009, member: 847142"] A lot is dependent upon your family, of course; if they're very strict, they may be unhappy for a while, but most families will eventually come around. Depending on the branch of Judaism you convert in, you may or may not have to learn Hebrew (it's really not as tough as you might think); if you convert with an Orthodox rabbi, you'll probably have to learn it, but if you convert Conservative or Reform, then you will likely just learn to read enough to make it through services - and even that isn't a lot. As for telling your family, I would suggest simple things like leaving books you are reading lying around so that they'll get the picture that you're interested; there's no need to slap them in the face with it all at once (not that I'm suggesting that you'd want to). I would suggest reading. Judaism places a strong emphasis on learning, both for information, and for its own sake. Some of the books I would suggest: "Choosing Judaism" by Lydia Kukoff "Every Person's Guide to Judaism" by Stephen J. Einstein and Lydia Kukoff "Choosing a Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends" by Anita Diamant (a good one to leave around when you're ready to hint to others that you're serious about going through with it) "Basic Judaism" by Rabbi Milton Steinberg "The Sabbath" by Abraham Joshua Heschel (a bit tougher than the others, but very valuable in conveying the "flavor" of Jewish thinking) "Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity" a collection of essays, also by Heschel; a comparatively difficult read, but valuable; take it in small "bites" and don't try to rush There are many, many others; I suggest simply reading what appeals to you. I would be remiss if I did not tell you that Judaism does not teach that you have to be Jewish to be a good person and acceptable to God; we do not seek converts, but we do accept them. Shalom. [/QUOTE]

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