First Rabbi Meeting

The first rabbi meeting went really well. Everyone was so friendly and nice. I instantly felt welcome and the anxiety melted right off.

Rabbi S. started by asking me about myself and I fell very comfortably into conversation, much more so than I usually do, not always being the most articulate of people. She liked that I had picked up on the Jewish tradition of questioning and reinterpreting as well as some of the differences between Conservative and Reform Judaism. It seemed like I'm a bit ahead of the game - that I've prepared appropriately and really put thought into this.

It's not that I didn't think I hadn't thought about it - I have. For a while. It's something I've wanted to do for so long, and over the past few months I've really started to think about how this will affect my life as well. In speaking with Rabbi S., I realized just how much thought I've put into it; just how much I know. And of course, just how much more I still need to know.

What's amazing is that after just that one meeting I already feel more Jewish, more like I can fit in and be part of this community.

Rabbi S. also told me that Reform Jews do not believe that Judaism passes only through the mother - a child is Jewish if one of his/her parents are Jewish and he/she is raised Jewish, regardless of the faith of the other parent. When I told my sister this, she said "A. can have Jewish children then without you having to convert."

This was a strange comment to me. I want to convert. I never said that I was doing it so A. could have Jewish children. But people will hear and believe what they want to believe I guess.