rebecca_in_blue | You've got questions? Rebecca's got answers!

Well, my date with the beit din is set! I'll be making another trip to Baton Rouge one week from today, August 10, and when I come back, this heathen-raised, Catholic-school-educated Cajun girl will be officially Jewish.

!!!!!

I'm really excited and nervous. So now that it's getting so close, I figure it's a good time to answer all those questions I never got asked.

What are you going to Baton Rouge for? What's a beit din?
     A beit din is usually a board of a few rabbis and/or people who are very knowledgeable about Judaism. They oversee things like Jewish divorces, circumcisions, and conversions. They're going to ask me some questions about why I want to convert. It's kinda like a job interview, except instead of "Why are you right for this position?" it's "Why do you want to be Jewish?" I'm nervous, but Jacob (Sassy Grandfather #3), who also converted, tells me that his biet din interview was a breeze. They basically said, "How are you today? You wanna be Jewish, huh? Okay, you're in!" I think he's playing it down a bit, but he's probably right that I'm worrying too much.
     Among the other the questions that I'll be asked:
          ~ Are you converting to Judaism of your own free will, and not just to please family members, friends, or any other third-party?
          ~ Have you severed ties with any previous religions? So long, Catholicism.
          ~ If you ever have children, do you swear to raise them Jewish? Not only that, but they'll be damn well-named too!
          ~ Do you swear to cast your lot with the Jewish people, come what may? In other words, if another Holocaust happens, I can't dig out my old Catholic baptism record (which probably still exists somewhere) and try to say I'm not really Jewish.
     After the beit din interview, I'm going to have a mikvah in the Amite River in Baton Rouge, and then I'll be officially Jewish. (The mikvah is the last step.) I'm nervous about this part too. :\

But Rebecca, you love cheeseburgers! You'll never be able to keep kosher!
     I'm converting to Reform Judaism, and most Reform Jews don't follow kosher dietary laws (which exclude pork, meat and milk in the same dish, among other things). So no, I'm not going to keep kosher. I like to think that I could do it if I really wanted, but I do love my cheeseburgers.

How do Jews worship Jesus?
     (I did once had a relative ask me this question, in so many words.) I was fairly surprised that I had to say this, but just so there's no confusion: Jews do not worship Jesus, nor believe he was divine, or the son of G-d, or the messiah/savior, etc.

But... then you can't celebrate Christmas and Easter anymore!
     Celebrate? No. Show up at Grandma's house on those days to ~~spend time with the family~~ stuff my face full of food? Hell yes! Don't even try to keep me away. ~~Also, I will still expect gifts on Christmas~~ I haven't yet decided whether I'll still expect gifts on Christmas. As I always say, I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it.

Are you going to have a bat mitzvah?
     No, at least not anytime soon. A bat mitzvah, the girl equivalent of a bar mitzvah, isn't required to convert to Reform. I could have one if I wanted to, but studying for a bar/bat mitzvah is a long, intense process (kinda like studying to convert) and I'm not planning to have one right now.

Well, are you going to do anything to celebrate?
     Hopefully. At some point, there will be a small ceremony for me and the three people converting with me during services at the temple, possibly followed by an oneg. I know that few people nobody in my family has ever attended the temple before, but I'd like for some of them to come. More details as that approaches. I have to discuss it with the temple secretary.

Once you're Jewish, will you suddenly become really rich? Are you going to start killing Christian children and drinking their blood?
     Shut up, Sara.

It's kinda funny that my last trip to Baton Rouge was to spend the day at Blue Bayou water park. This time, I'll be getting wet again, but the circumstances couldn't be more different!

2 days until the Musical Shabbat and ice cream social oneg -- yum!
6 days until the meeting with the beit din and my mikvah!
48 days until Season 9 of NCIS!