Lawrence J. Epstein

Conversion waxes and wanes, based on the historical and national circumstances of the Jews.

The evolution of Israel as a nation into Judaism as a religion was paralleled by a move from assimilation of strangers to a more formal idea of conversion.

Jewish attitudes toward conversion began to change as spouses of non-Jews remained loyal to Judaism and more converts chose Judaism.

In the face of persecution and legal restriction, codifiers of Jewish law chose survival over proselytization.

While the early Reform movement presented selected universal, liberal moral teachings as the core of Judaism, the contemporary Reform movement is rediscovering many particularistic Jewish practices.

Orthodoxy maintains a strict legal approach to conversion, while Conservative Judaism has responded pragmatically rather than ideologically.

In traditional communities, a child must be formally converted if adopted or born to a non-Jewish mother.

Becoming Jewish requires careful consideration and extensive self-examination.