Resources

Websites

• United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
• Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative/Masorti Judaism
• My Jewish Learning.com

Books About Jewish Conversion

Here are books which you may find helpful in the conversion process. Though some of these books are out of print, all are available from on-line sources.

• Ordained to be A Jew: A Catholic Priest’s Conversion to Judaism, by John David Scalamonti, KTAV Publishing, 1992.
• Coming Home: A Woman’s Story of Conversion to Judaism, by Linda M. Shires, Westview Press, 2003. Dr. Shires, a former Guggenheim Fellow, is Professor of English and Textual Studies at Syracuse University, where she also teaches in the Judaic Studies program.
• Embracing Judaism: Personal Narratives of Renewed Faith, by Debra Gonsher Vinik, Jason Aronson, 1999.
• Lovesong: Becoming a Jew, by Julius Lester, Arcade Publishing, 1988. The moving account of a major writer’s path from his boyhood as the son of an African American Methodist minister in the South, his earliest recollections of the pull to Judaism and his eventual conversion to Judaism.
• Choosing a Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends, by Anita Diamant, Schoken Books, 1997. Diamant, a popular and prolific writer on Jewish topics, is married to a Jew by choice. This book discusses most of the issues important to the process of converting.
• Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews With Converts to Judaism, by Catherine H. Myrowitz, Jason Aronson Publishers, 1995. The author, a psychotherapist and a Jew by choice, interviewed a diverse group of people who shared their heartening and beautiful stories of conversion.
• Embracing the Covenant: Converts to Judaism Talk About Why and How, by Rabbi Allan L. Berkowitz and Patti Moskovitz, Jewish Lights Publishing, 1996.
• Your People, My People: Finding Acceptance and Fulfillment as a Jew by Choice, by Lena Romanoff, Identity Plus Publishers, 2nd Edition, 1999. The author, a Jew by Choice, includes chapters on the emotional issues involved in converting.
• Emerging Jewish: Surviving the Conversion Process with Your Ideals and Relationships Intact, by Rabbi Daniel Kohn, Xlibris Corporation, 2007. This book deals sensitively with the familial and social challenges sometimes encountered by those choosing to be Jewish.
• The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnik, the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 2001. Contains more than one thousand entries with explanations of the most common Jewish words in use today and covering all aspects of Jewish life.

Contact Us Today

To contact Nancy Labbie or a sponsoring Rabbi, please contact the United Synagogue Office below:

• Phone: 847-714-9130
• E-mail: midwest@uscj.org

Students may register and begin classes at any time from September to June.

Partner Program

Looking for a program in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago?

Anshe Emet Synagogue offers a comprehensive program for people who are considering conversion to Judaism.