http://globalvoicesonline.org/2005/11/11/india-lost-tribes-of-israel/ The world is talking. Are you listening? Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:13:24 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://globalvoicesonline.org/2005/11/11/india-lost-tribes-of-israel/comment-page-1/#comment-16188 Andy Carvin Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:19:39 +0000 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/2005/11/11/india-lost-tribes-of-israel/#comment-16188 You can indeed convert to Judaism. It's not common, but it does happen, particularly when non-Jews marry Jews. As for the other question, I imagine they are "re-converting" is because Israel has specific laws concerning how Jewish you have to be to immigrate to Israel. Israel is generally Orthodox, but there are other branches of Judaism, like Reform here in the US. Reform accepts someone who's father is Jewish but mother isn't, while Orthodox does not. So I've known people from mixed marriages who had to "convert" because Orthodox synagogues didn't recognize them as Jewish, even though they were raised Jewish their entire lives. So it's all part of a much larger debate within Judaism as to what makes a person Jewish. You can indeed convert to Judaism. It’s not common, but it does happen, particularly when non-Jews marry Jews. As for the other question, I imagine they are “re-converting” is because Israel has specific laws concerning how Jewish you have to be to immigrate to Israel. Israel is generally Orthodox, but there are other branches of Judaism, like Reform here in the US. Reform accepts someone who’s father is Jewish but mother isn’t, while Orthodox does not. So I’ve known people from mixed marriages who had to “convert” because Orthodox synagogues didn’t recognize them as Jewish, even though they were raised Jewish their entire lives. So it’s all part of a much larger debate within Judaism as to what makes a person Jewish.

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