u/Weird7954

Since it’s so much to take in, do I need to know the names of the letters or would it be more helpful at the beginning to identify the letter by the sound?

First of all, every service I’ve gone to in the last three months has been awesome. This was my least favorite but if it was the only one I ever went to, I would’ve liked it. Maybe it was because there was too much English? It was obvious the rabbi was trying to engage the congregates. Maybe that style just doesn’t work for me? I have an adverse opinion of Christianity and church

I’m not inclined to go back but I have a conundrum… The major classes are offered there and it’s my understanding I should take classes at the synagogue that I wish to have a community relationship with.

What to do what to do… I feel so much more at home in the other one (conservative). I also attended this, my favorite one this morning as well, for 45 minutes. It never fails… People kept coming up to me even during when the service was in session welcoming me back and asking my name again if they didn’t remember. I only got that kind of reception one other time, in a different city. I should go where I feel most comfortable, correct? I’ve been to a total of six synagogues. And the second one today was definitely not my favorite.

Please tell me your stories. I am a convert in progress

There was a guy on here while we were talking about losing muscle mass in old age. He said he and his wife started practicing standing on 1 foot while brushing their teeth. It was a wonderful lively discussion. Where are those discussions now? Isn’t anybody doing anything to prevent further deterioration who wants to talk about it anymore? Please bring humor back to this sub!!

This group used to be a bunch of old people giving advice, providing humor, it was wonderful. Now it’s just a bunch of old people who are depressed or lonely. How do you get lonely in your 60s? All of my friends died 5 years ago and I’m still not lonely. How do you get to the point of being lonely? I’m not even sure I will be lonely when I’m in my 80s or 90s. Without humor and decency, people are just not worth it. 67F

Honestly it just seems like the reform conversion would be easier and faster, just to catapult my start. It’s also much closer to my house. The Rabbi certainly did make a case for converting at the reform. The conservative rabbi, not so much. Are the requirements different for each? Will I be accepted and welcomed by the rabbi as a conservative member if I convert as a reform? 67F running out of time.
Will the reform rabbi be pissed off if I ditch them after conversion and resume attending conservative? What is protocol? I want to do the right thing! Classes at both start in October

But I will still honor Shabbat and go to services every week and follow along and enjoy all the prayer recitations, and participate in the community. Which movement does my opinion most closely align with? I was thinking conservative and I’ve been too many many shuls so far and must now pick one for conversion

I probably didn’t say that the best way. I haven’t talked about this with any of the rabbis or the people because I thought it was understood already, that we are all here for at least that reason. One of my main drives is that I wanted to honor the religion and people by engaging in all of the traditions, which includes learning everything I can and having more conversations about eveuthing. I have my ideas about God, which apparently most Jews agree with. But I will never worship God thats what christiqns do. The fact that they incessantly talk about it all and contemplate god is literally the most thrilling experience. It is something I have always done, at least in my own mind (because nobody would ever talk to me about it). In college i majored in early modern European history specifically because I wanted the dirt on Christianity. But now I realize I should’ve major in theology.

I can’t believe I got to my age and I am now just doing this. I feel like I’ve been Jewish my entire life. But for 2 1/2 decades I’ve been pushed away from Judaism. All I wanted was to get my foot in the door. I didn’t know what was on the other side, but I wanted it.. some unexplainable motivation. It’s been two months since I attended my first Shabbat evening service. To say it was enlightening would be an understatement. But that’s a different story. For two months I have been so scared that I was going to get rejected. I wanted this so bad and I feel like my life would be over if somebody rejected me again.
Today I talked to my third Rabbi. I flat out told her, I’m afraid you’re going to reject me. She said, no I’m not! I cried. I told her I’ve already been rejected six times in the many years before now and I told her a couple of those instances. She said it should never have happened. Of course I cried again. She said it’s OK, lots of people cry in my office ❤️
- Soon to be Jewish

The one my conservative shul uses costs $114. Just wondering if Jews or converting Jews would want to keep one on hand to continue learning on a regular basis.

Is it a relationship built over time and he offers to sponsor me or I have to ask? Do I file paperwork like a formal request? Nobody has offered so far so I’m assuming I have to ask

In trying to establish a presence in a community… One Congregation has weekly Torah study in person and a different one has a Congregation I really love and the other one has a really good service. So I find myself feeling a lot like a ping-pong ball. Is it OK to keep bouncing around to enjoy what I like most? One rabbi did say they all work together in Houston

Please don’t make fun of me. I’m really old in getting started with this. I understand the Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament. Don’t you just read it and be done with it? I know interpretation comes into play in a huge way but what is to study? I have so many questions. I feel pain that I didn’t know I could start this when I was much younger (I thought you had to marry somebody Jewish in order to convert).

My synagogue gave me a siddur so I will begin by reading it. Maybe that will help answer some questions?

The skirt is elastic waistband with a gathered waist, basic seam on each side. When I walk with a shoulder bag, the skirt turns about every 30 steps so that the seams are no longer on the sides and I have to keep adjusting. Would a way to correct this be putting darts in the front and in the back for a more form fit rather than a gathered application ?

But I never could find what I wanted there anyway. And what I wanted was matte both sides four-way stretch nylon Lycra. None of the local fabric stores had it and I felt like I was searching the dark web in trying to find this product. Alibaba was also a colossal waste of time. So finally I just ordered from Amazon and voilà there it was. And much cheaper than anything local or that I could find at Joannes! I can also get ripstop nylon there.

I also noticed thread is complete garbage these days. Or it’s overpriced. So I did some research on the old good thread that I’ve had in my sewing box for 40 years (j&p coats) and also realized I could also order IT off Amazon, for only $2.75 per spool if you buy a six pack. It’s called just Coates now

I’m just starting out with Hebrew and I got a workbook but the letters are in a thick print with square edges at the ends. Should I be using a thick marker to write them or is a pen fine?
The handwritten letter which seems to be one stroke of a pen is quite different from the printed letter in most cases

Not into the machine but set it on the table against the wall which is close by? I want to hear my music so I have some idea of the passage of time

I went to my first conservative service last weekend and loved it and decided to convert conservative not reform but I don’t understand Hebrew yet and I found it hard to follow. I’ve been going to reform services. I’ve loved all of my experiences at every synagogue I’ve been to which is quite a few, every Friday since April. Something I objected to at reform were some Jews freely saying they have taken a pro Palestine position. I don’t see how you can be pro Israel and then say Israel is committing genocide.

At the conservative service, I found the congregants to be welcoming and engaging, something I didn’t really encounter on a large scale like this at reform.

At the reform services, I can read along in transliterations even though I don’t understand any of it yet. It made me feel connected. In the conservative version, there are very few transliterations and it made me sad that I couldn’t read along with them.

So should I keep going to conservative service and feel somewhat disconnected with the Hebrew even though the people are awesome or should I continue going to the reform services where I can read along and feel connected but where the people don’t align as much with me.