A CONVERT FROM ANOTHER LAND Walter Jacob
QUESTION: A young woman has come to the United States from Australia . She was converted to Judaism there and possesses the proper documentation; the conversion in this instance seems to have been done rather hurriedly. Should we accept it? She wishes to marry an American Jewish boy.(Robert Gold, Baltimore , MD )*
ANSWER: Unless we have very good reason for rejecting the conversion from a foreign land, we should accept it. Those reasons would primarily deal with the behavior or knowledge of the convert. If the convert’s attitude towards Judaism raises doubts, then we are entitled to question the conversion. Otherwise, someone who comes to us with appropriate documentation should be accepted.
We many, of course, suggest further study to the young woman on the grounds that her knowledge of Judaism seems limited. This would make it easier for her to establish a Jewish home and to raise her children within the Jewish community. Such suggestions made in a positive manner, will have the desired effect; they will avoid problems of questioning the efforts of colleagues elsewhere while at the same time maintaining our own standards for conversion.