An in-depth look at what it takes to finalize a convert’s personal kabbalas haTorah

L

oretta Walker* grew up in J.D. Vance territory, only it was 20 years before he was born.

“We were your classic hillbillies, and going to school, I knew no blacks, no Asians, no Hispanics. Definitely no Jews.”

The only Jews Loretta knew were from the Bible, and they were all dead. Which made sense, considering everything she’d learned about Jews at Sunday school.

From the start, Loretta was different, which was not a positive attribute. But it was not because she was searching for meaning.

“I didn’t know to search. I really had no idea Jews existed.”

Loretta’s differences played out in her schooling: She was smart and ambitious beyond what was considered normal in her town, and it earned her a coveted spot at Andover Summer school, one of the nation’s premier summer academic enrichment programs, which aims to help students prepare for the nation’s top high schools and colleges.

Loretta met her first Jew at Andover, and she stayed with Amy Goldberg’s* family in Boston when she was touring colleges during her senior year. “It was Chanukah, and they lit candles, but I had no idea what it was about. I didn’t even know enough to question it. People lit candles. Big deal.”

Then, while attending Yale, Loretta met more Jews. Her roommate Alyssa was one. Ever curious, Loretta asked Alyssa what being Jewish meant. “Well,” Alyssa responded, “you believe in Yoshke. We don’t.” Case closed.

In her third year at Yale, Loretta, by then an avowed atheist (“Christianity just didn’t speak to me. I had no idea I could replace my religion with something else. I just thought there must not be a G-d”), met Phillip Adams.

Phillip was a Connecticut native from a mixed marriage: His mother was Jewish, his father Christian, and he grew up in a Unitarian Church. Now he was exploring his roots on both sides, taking classes at the church as well as at a local Conservative synagogue. Ever the supportive girlfriend, Loretta joined. The first class they took together was on prayer, given by a Rabbi Yehuda Linsker* from the local community. Wouldn’t you know, Rabbi Linsker was frum.

Loretta found the classes interesting, not least because it corroborated everything she believed. In time Loretta explained her philosophy to Rabbi Linsker: “I don’t believe in G-d, I believe in good and evil. When you do good, you bring good forces down into the world, and when you do bad, you unleash bad forces.”

“Well, that’s what Judaism believes,” Rabbi Linsker responded.

When Rabbi Linsker invited Phillip for a Shabbos meal, and he observed frumkeit in action, he became more serious about his Judaism. Still, he and Loretta were dating, and they were discussing marriage. At that point, Rabbi Linsker invited Loretta to learn Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.

And that’s when Loretta joined a unique cadre of people: non-Jews aspiring to join the Jewish nation.

Our Rabbanim

Rabbi Zvi Romm, Menahel of Manhattan Beth Din for Conversions:

As a rav on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Rabbi Romm was familiar with many geirus cases, as Manhattan is filled with people wandering into shuls, interested in becoming Jewish. In 2007, the RCA (Rabbinical Council of America) decided to create a network of American batei din (in conjunction with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel) in order to create consistent procedures and requirements, with the goal of elevating the standards of geirus in America. The Manhattan Beth Din for Conversions was created to be the New York-based affiliate of that new network. Rabbi Romm was recruited in 2008 and stepped into the menahel’s position in 2010.

Rabbi Moshe Walter, the Rav of Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah in Silver Spring MD; Executive Director of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Washington; and Yosheiv Rosh of the beis din of giyur:

Until a bit over a decade ago, the Greater Washington community did not have a beis din specializing in geirus. As the Greater Washington, D.C. area is an international city, the rabbanim started noticing that there was an enormous amount of potential geirus candidates who were not being serviced. The rabbanim began to worry that these people would end up migrating to the lowest bar of geirus, convert through weaker channels, and start interacting with the local Jewish communities. It was a ticking time bomb with the certainty of creating complicated situations.

With the encouragement of Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, the beis din has been operating for 14 years.

Rabbi Mordechai Rhine, Rav and Secretary of the Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington:

Noticing the desperate need in the community and the rising numbers of people interested in being megayer, Rabbi Rhine joined the Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington as the secretary for the beis din. He is the first one to guide the candidates through the process. Rabbi Rhine also coaches sponsoring rabbanim.