Disclosures Related to Conversion at the Boston Rabbinical Court
Welcome! The Boston Rabbinical Court facilitates Orthodox Conversion to Judaism; in all six states of New England. Our Court has proudly embraced this role for decades, and is recognized and approved both by the Rabbinate of the State of Israel, and also by the Rabbinical Council of America’s GPS Conversion Program.
Our Conversion program is sponsor driven – by which we mean that each Conversion candidate works closely with a sponsor who mentors him or her down the path towards conversion. The Rabbinical Court meets with most candidates bi-annually to supervise progress and set goals for growth towards conversion to Judaism.
What does a conversion process involve?
Over the course of months and years of study, a potential convert grows in three major areas: knowledge of Judaism (from Hebrew language, to Jewish law, to general cultural literacy), philosophy of Judaism (from the principles of faith, to the challenges of modernity to that faith, to the difference between religions), and commitment to Judaism (understanding the sacrifices made in balancing Judaism with one’s former family, professional choices, community, and parenting).
The sponsor rabbi and rabbis of the beit din will get to know you over the course of the process, and also discuss your life goals and life path and how this relates to the decision to join Judaism.
In general, potential converts are asked to practice Judaism as a Jew would, including attending regular prayer services at an Orthodox congregation; but are generally asked to break Shabbat, refrain from Talit and tefillin; and if married, from Mikvah.
Are there limitations on where I can live while applying for conversion?
A big part of Orthodox, Jewish Life involves attending services each Shabbat, and as a result, the Rabbinical Court will not complete a conversion process if the convert does not have a permanent, long-term ownership or rental of a home or apartment in walking distance of an Orthodox synagogue. Driving to synagogue is obviously anathema to Orthodox Judaism, and staying-by-friends or Airbnb are not conducive to a long-term settling of roots in a Jewish community. Some begin a conversion process while staying-over for Shabbat and move in the middle of the process.
As long as you are in walking distance to any synagogue, any community in New England would be acceptable. In our experience, however, larger, vibrant communities provide more opportunities to learn, grow, and study and may lead to a faster process than smaller communities with fewer resources.
Additionally, we recommend that you reside in the same community as your sponsor, to ensure regular contact with him – although some sponsors will sponsor a conversion candidate who resides in a different community.
How long does the conversion process take?
There is no set length for the process, which varies case by case. Every person comes to the process with different amounts of background knowledge from prior study before coming to the Beit Din; and with different amounts of time available to commit to the process and to growth. Someone who attends daily services and is fully integrated in a large community with years of study before coming to the Beit Din is likely to have a different timetable from a busy individual with a 50-hour work week who can only devote a small amount of time to the process.
The median length of time for the process at our court, historically, is about two years from the time of the first meeting with the Beit Din – but one should not judge this timetable as predictive for any particular new case.
Who will know that I am in process? Is their confidentiality? How many rabbis will know?
In general, the core rabbis of the Rabbinical Court do meet and caucus and discuss current ongoing cases, although they all keep cases under confidentiality, and will not discuss them with other members of the community unless given permission to do so by the conversion candidate. However, it is likely that your sponsor rabbi and home community will need to know that you are involved in a conversion process.
At each meeting of the Rabbinical Court, we strive to have three rabbis on the panel to meet with you – although since the rabbis on the panel may change, it is possible that you will see a half-dozen different panelist over the course of your process. At times, only two rabbis might attend a conversion meeting.
For school age children, though our rabbinical court does not proactively inform schools of children undergoing conversion, we strongly encourage candidates to be honest with schools about their religious status within this process.
Can I participate in this process if I am in a relationship?
Being in a relationship with a significant other can complicate and delay a conversion process and also place stress and strain on your relationship. That being said, being in a relationship is not a factor per se that related to exclusion from our program. However, the rabbinical court expects full honesty about any relationships, and their nature, and it may provide guidance how that relationship should continue while in the process.
Though relationships are not per se factors for exclusion from the program, being dishonest about those relationships will lead to removal from the program.
Once one begins the program, the expectation is that the conversion candidate will not commence a new relationship until the program is completed.
Can I transfer my case to another court?
Should you leave New England, the Boston Rabbinical Court maintains a close relationship with the various courts in the Rabbinical Council of America’s GPS Conversion Program and we can transfer your file to another court and update them on your status and work so far towards conversion.
Should you remain in New England, our expectation is that in applying to our court that you are also committing to not speaking to other courts of conversion so long as you remain in our jurisdiction.
The Rabbinical Court will consider conversion application of University undergraduates only if they have made plans to enable them to remain in the New England area after graduation. An undergraduate Junior who plans to return home after graduation should open their initial file at their home community.
Are there any costs in this process?
None of the Rabbis on the Court are paid for participation in conversion. This includes the sponsors, the rabbis on the panel, or the rabbis who participate in the actual conversion itself. None are paid and there are no fees collected on behalf of those Rabbis. Instead, those rabbis see their work as a service to the community.
However, there may be steps that you consider valuable towards your process that you will find helpful as you learn, such as studying with tutors, visiting Israel, or purchasing books which may carry a cost. However, these costs are between you and the vendor, and not between you and the court.
At the time of the application, there is a one-time $125 application fee which pays for the office administration time needed to open a new file. This fee covers the costs of submitting an application and is non-refundable. If a conversion is completed, there is a second one-time $125 paper processing fee which covers the document preparation and ongoing storage commitments upon completion.
Usually, the Mikvah (and if applicable, circumcision expert or “mohel”) also charges a fee for use of their building, although this is covered directly with those vendors and can fluctuate depending on which mikvah or mohel is used.
The Costs of Jewish education for children can be significant and cannot be minimized. It is the expectation that children of converts at the Boston Rabbinical Court (and children who are themselves, converts), will receive a complete Jewish education.