Gerim (, singular masculine: גר "ger", singular feminine: גיורת "giyoret"), also known as gere ṣedeq (גְּרֵי צֶדֶק, righteous )
It is important to note that there is a distinction between a "ger tzedek" (גר צדק) and a "ger toshav" (גר תושב), who is a "resident alien" and is bound only to the Seven Laws of Noah.
Overview
Being
Jews is a combination of belonging to the Jewish nation and of adherence to the religion of
Judaism. The religion of Judaism does not actively seek converts, though it does welcome them.
According to an ancient tradition, to test the sincerity of an individual beginning the process, a
rabbi should discourage their conversion three times.
Some communities have seen bans on performing conversions.
Even once the conversion process has begun, an individual is not guaranteed to be converted if they do not meet the expectations and requirements of their sponsoring rabbi and
Beth din.
Reasons for denial include a lack of sincerity, mental or physical illness, or living in a place where adhering to Jewish law is impossible.
Once a halakhically valid conversion is completed, it can never be undone and the ger is forever considered to be Jewish, even if their observance wavers or they attempt to convert to another religion. However, some rabbis have ruled that revocation of a conversion is permissible if it is proven the process was not done in accordance with Jewish law or that the convert was insincere in their intentions and beliefs.
The process in which a gentile (non-Jew) becomes a Jew resembles both naturalization, as well as religious conversion. The convert accepts upon themselves the Halakha, Jewish culture, Jewish history, and Jewish identity of the Jewish people.
Jewish converts, unlike Christians and Muslims, are not simply considered believers in Judaism, but rather full-fledged members of the Jewish people. Due to this, some prominent rabbis, such as Rabbi Shlomo Goren, have taken the stance that religious belief and observance is not the sole determining factor in becoming a member. However, others, such as Rabbi Saadia Gaon, held that “our nation is a nation only by virtue of its religious laws”, indicating that religious belief is a core element of the Jewish nation.
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, a prominent Dutch-Israeli rabbi and ger tzedek states, regarding conversion, that:
A Gentile who converts to Judaism miraculously becomes part of the Israelites. Unlike with Christianity, this does not just mean that the Gentile now shares the beliefs of Judaism, but rather that he or she literally becomes the seed of the Avot "forefathers" and Imahot "foremothers". For this to happen, a quasi-biological miracle is required. The Gentile needs to be reborn as a direct descendant of Abraham and Sarah.
Individuals from a vast array of ethnic and religious backgrounds have become Jewish throughout history, leading to a degree of genetic and racial diversity among the Jewish population as a whole. Regardless,
Halakha places no value in genetics or physical attributes in determining whether or not an individual is or is not a Jew.
History
Gentile have been joining the Jewish people for thousands of years, with one of the earliest instances being Ruth, a
Moab ancestor of
David.
In the Book of Ruth, she declared her loyalty to the Jewish people to Naomi, her
Parent-in-law, by saying:
Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.
During the
Roman era, it is estimated up to 10% (2-7 million) of the
Roman people was Jewish, partially due to an increase in Jewish conversion.
Several gerim and descendants of gerim, such as Simon bar Giora,
Abtalion, Shmaya,
Onkelos, Queen Helena of Adiabene,
Ben Bag-Bag, and Rabbi Yochanan ben Torta were prominent in the ancient Jewish community.
It is estimated that a significant portion of the genome of Jewish diaspora groups is of non-Israelite genetic descent, indicating that these communities accepted in many converts following the expulsion of Jews from Israel by the Roman Empire.
Though extremely uncommon, entire people groups have converted to Judaism throughout history, notably the Subbotniks,
Alleged forced conversion of the Edomites
The only recorded case of alleged forced conversion to Judaism was
John Hyrcanus forced conversion of the
Edom during the
Maccabean Revolt against the
Seleucid Empire. However, some scholars believe this conversion to have been voluntary.
Conversion
Process
Prospective Jewish converts must undergo a rigorous process which bears similarity to both
naturalization and a religious conversion. Traditionally, this involves moving into a Jewish community, a year or more of Jewish education under a
rabbi, meeting with a recognized
Beth din (Jewish court), and going through with the
Mikveh (which differ between
Brit milah and females slightly).
Other requirements generally include forming bonds within the Jewish community, learning Hebrew language, demonstrating Ethics, involvement in Jewish communal life, and maintaining a positive relationship with their sponsoring rabbi.
Married couples must convert together and commit to sending their children to 12 years of Jewish schooling.
Adoption of minhag (customs)
Converts generally are advised to adopt the
Minhag (such as
Ashkenazi Jews or
Sephardic Jews) of their sponsoring rabbi or community, however many also choose their own minhag independently.
Opposition
Throughout history, there have always been Jewish figures who opposed conversion and converts for a variety of reasons.
As Jewish conversion is not a right, but rather a privilege, arguments against conversion range in reasoning from the possibilities of watering down traditional Judaism to issues regarding the absorption of newcomers into an identity and culture entirely foreign to them.
Other arguments cite convert's potential zealotry when observing
Mitzvah (commandments), thus creating an atmosphere of denigration towards born-Jews who aren't as stringent.
Identity
Names of converts
Throughout Jewish history converts have been referred to by a variety of names and titles. Ancient sources and tombstones regularly refer to them as "proselytes", "righteous proselytes", "converts", and some even refer to them using their former identity. For instance, in
Mishnah Yadayim 4:4, a convert is referred to as Yehudah Ger Ammoni (Yehudah the
Ammon convert).
father was referred to as Antipater the Idumaean due to his
Edom origin.]]
Ethnicity and race
Traditionally, there exists no distinction between
ethnicity and
religion in Jewish culture.
Even the modern concepts of ethnicity and religion were not present when Jewish civilization first emerged, making concepts such as "ethnic Jews" and "religious Jews" nonexistent in ancient sources.
Similar to the concept of Roman citizenship and Hellenization, Jewish identity is one that encompasses a wide range of ethnic, religious, tribal, and national concepts which work together in tandem to form the entire framework of Jewish identity.
In Israel, all Jews are defined as ethnic Jews, regardless if the individual was born Jewish or converted.
Race, much like ethnicity, is not a concept found in traditional Judaism. The concept of a Jewish race is one that emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. Skin color and other physical features are not determining factors in regards to Jewishness.
Negation of familial relationships
Per Jewish law, a convert is like a newborn child, and thus biological parental ties are spiritually severed upon their conversion.
Despite this, a convert is still required to honor their parents, as mandated by Jewish law.
Converts are not required to perform Jewish mourning rituals for the deaths of their gentile parents.
Distinctions between born-Jews and gerim
There is no distinction between born-Jews and gerim in the eyes of traditional
Halakha, in most cases.
The few distinctions that do exist are that a ger cannot sit on a Jewish court in many cases,
a ger cannot marry a
Kohen (Jewish priest),
and a ger can never be in a position of absolute authority over born-Jews (such as becoming a monarch).
Convert status does not extend to the children of converts, as they would be considered born-Jews.
Around the world
Russian Empire and Soviet Union
Groups of Slavic Christian peasants began to appropriate certain elements of Jewish culture and religion beginning in the 19th century, resulting in persecution and deportation under Tsar Alexander I. Called
Subbotniks, many eventually converted to Judaism, and settled in the Land of Israel.
Groups of Subbotnik Jews still exist in formerly Soviet countries, such as in the village of Privolnoye, Azerbaijan.
An entire Ukraine village near Uman converted to Judaism and became Breslov. Many were later victims of committed against the Jewish community in the region during World War I.
Ethiopia
Many researchers believe the
Beta Israel, much like the Subbotniks, adopted a Jewish identity without formal conversion or were converted by
Yemenite Jews who settled in the region during the
Middle Ages. Genetic research has shown the group to be closely related to the Cushitic-speaking
Agaw people,
however other research indicates an Israelite origin of the community.
Khazar Khaganate
During the Middle Ages, it was believed the nobility of the
Khazars converted to Judaism. However, the claim is doubted by many researchers. Though there was a confirmed presence of Jews in the kingdom and the existence of Khazar gerim, notably a diaspora community in
Spain after the fall of the Khazars,
there is no confirmed evidence of mass conversion to Judaism.
Myanmar and India
Some Tibeto-Burmese-speaking people on the border between
India and
Myanmar, such as the
Kuki people, have begun converting to Judaism due to a belief in descent from a Lost Tribe of Israel, specifically the Tribe of Manasseh. Due to this belief, they've adopted the name
Bnei Menashe (Children of Manasseh). They number around 10,000, with half of residing in India, and the other half in Israel.
United States
According to the Pew Research Center, up to 1 in 6 (approximately 1,275,000)
American Jews are gerim.
Although rare, mass conversions to Judaism have occurred in the United States. For instance, in Show Low, Arizona, 21 individuals converted in September 2023.
Some prominent American gerim include:
-
Reuben Greenberg - First black police chief of Charleston, South Carolina.
-
Sammy Davis Jr. - Singer and actor.
-
Ivanka Trump - Daughter of the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump.
-
Eli HaZe'ev - Vietnam War veteran and victim of the 1980 Hebron terrorist attack.
-
Y-Love - Hip-hop artist.
-
Louis Ferrante - Former Italian-American mobster.
Israel
Since 2016, about 3,000 people convert to Judaism every year in
Israel through programs approved by the Chief Rabbinate. Between 1996 and 2021, 101,609 individuals have successfully completed approved conversion programs, with most being Soviet immigrants who were not halakhically Jewish (oftentimes only having one Jewish grandparent).
Converts are eligible under the Law of Return to become Israeli citizens, however only converts through Jewish courts recognized by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel are recognized halakhically as Jewish within the country.
Some prominent Israeli gerim include:
-
Nissim Black - American-Israeli rapper.
-
Amar'e Stoudemire - American-Israeli basketball player.
-
Mike Flanagan - Irish-Israeli soldier who defected from the British Army.
-
Anastassia Michaeli - Russian-Israeli politician.
-
Reuel Abraham - German-Israeli former Luftwaffe pilot during World War II who, after witnessing a massacre of Jews during the The Holocaust, feigned illness to get out of combat, donated money to Jewish victims, and made aliyah from Germany.
Palestine
Though rare, some
Palestinians have converted to Judaism.
-
Baruch Mizrahi - A Palestinian convert to Judaism, he joined the Irgun and was killed during the 1948 Palestine war by Palestinian forces.
-
David ben Avraham: Inspired by his grandfather's actions during the 1929 Hebron massacre, in which he saved 25 Jews, Ben Avraham converted to Judaism. The Israel Defense Forces killed him during the Gaza war, believing he was a terrorist.
Peru
The B'nai Moshe, also known as the
Inca Empire Jews, are a group of 900
Peruvians gerim in Israel, primarily Judea and Samaria. Originally from Trujillo, a significant portion of the community made
aliyah in the 1990's.
South Africa
A growing number of
Afrikaners have undergone conversion in recent years, with many opting to make aliyah to Israel from
South Africa.
See also
