Judaism Do Jews have initiations?/Any all-Jewish charities?/are their any Jewish lucky charms

[DutifulWebmaster]

I would appreciate any help with the following questions

To provide some info about me: I have not been ‘initiated’ into Judaism - I am new to the religion, and I would like to become a Jew.  I live in England, and, in my town, there is no Synagogue.  I could travel to the Synagogue in my closest city, via train, however.  

1)  If/when I go to a synagogue for the first time, is there any important advice I should be aware of?

2)  Is there an ‘initiation process’ in Judaism?

3)  I would like to make a charitable donation to a Jewish charity where (and I don’t mean to sound like a jerk here) the beneficiaries of the donations are Jews, and where the professionals who work for the charity are also Jews.  Does anyone know of any such charities?

4)  According to Jewish scriptures, are there any tangible items which some Jews carry with them, when they leave their home, which, kind of, protect them, from evil, or something along those lines?  For example, with some pagans of certain lands, some would carry around leaves of a certain plant which were known to protect them from evil spirits.  Is there any such belief of something similar in the realm of Judaism?

I would like to say thank you in advance to anyone who helpfully answers one or more of the above questions.

[searchinmyroots]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Just to let you know, he first posts are moderated to help keep out spam and bots.

Thank you for your introduction.

I guess my first question would be, why do you want to be Jewish? What is it about Judaism that gives you the feeling to convert?


I'll try to answer your questions and hopefully others here will also be able to offer some insight.

1)  If/when I go to a synagogue for the first time, is there any important advice I should be aware of?

Just be yourself, be kind and courteous and try to absorb what is going on around you. Depending on what type of synagogue you attend, you may or may not understand the language or why people are doing what they do.

2)  Is there an ‘initiation process’ in Judaism?

Not sure what you mean by "initiation" process. Judaism is a lifelong journey for both those who convert and those who are born Jewish. It is a way of life.

3)  I would like to make a charitable donation to a Jewish charity where (and I don’t mean to sound like a jerk here) the beneficiaries of the donations are Jews, and where the professionals who work for the charity are also Jews.  Does anyone know of any such charities?

There are many Jewish run charities, depends on what type of charity you want to donate to. There are those for the hungry, the homeless, the one's needing medical attention, different communities and their specific needs to name a few.

4)  According to Jewish scriptures, are there any tangible items which some Jews carry with them, when they leave their home, which, kind of, protect them, from evil, or something along those lines?  For example, with some pagans of certain lands, some would carry around leaves of a certain plant which were known to protect them from evil spirits.  Is there any such belief of something similar in the realm of Judaism?

That sounds like things the Hebrew Bible warns us not to do. There may be some "Jewish people" who do things like you mentioned, but it is not what the Bible wants us to do. Trust G-d, that's all you need.

As I mentioned, hopefully others will chime in with their thoughts as well.

[DutifulWebmaster]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Just to let you know, he first posts are moderated to help keep out spam and bots.

Thank you for your introduction.

I guess my first question would be, why do you want to be Jewish? What is it about Judaism that gives you the feeling to convert?


I'll try to answer your questions and hopefully others here will also be able to offer some insight.

1)  If/when I go to a synagogue for the first time, is there any important advice I should be aware of?

Just be yourself, be kind and courteous and try to absorb what is going on around you. Depending on what type of synagogue you attend, you may or may not understand the language or why people are doing what they do.

2)  Is there an ‘initiation process’ in Judaism?

Not sure what you mean by "initiation" process. Judaism is a lifelong journey for both those who convert and those who are born Jewish. It is a way of life.

3)  I would like to make a charitable donation to a Jewish charity where (and I don’t mean to sound like a jerk here) the beneficiaries of the donations are Jews, and where the professionals who work for the charity are also Jews.  Does anyone know of any such charities?

There are many Jewish run charities, depends on what type of charity you want to donate to. There are those for the hungry, the homeless, the one's needing medical attention, different communities and their specific needs to name a few.

4)  According to Jewish scriptures, are there any tangible items which some Jews carry with them, when they leave their home, which, kind of, protect them, from evil, or something along those lines?  For example, with some pagans of certain lands, some would carry around leaves of a certain plant which were known to protect them from evil spirits.  Is there any such belief of something similar in the realm of Judaism?

That sounds like things the Hebrew Bible warns us not to do. There may be some "Jewish people" who do things like you mentioned, but it is not what the Bible wants us to do. Trust G-d, that's all you need.

As I mentioned, hopefully others will chime in with their thoughts as well.

To searchinmyroots,

Thanks for your help.

[Chavak]

If you want to visit a synagogue I would call ahead and let them know that you would like to visit and have never been before. I would see if they can have you sit with someone to explain what is going on. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you go to a synagogue where everything is in Hebrews.

Not sure what you mean by initiation process, but if you mean during conversion yes. You have to appear before a bet din, go to the mikveh, and have a bris for males who are not circumcised or a drop of blood drawn if they are.

I don't know of any Jews who carry items with them to protect them from evil. No belief in evil spirits for me.

It seems you don't have an extensive knowledge of Judaism yet to be able to really make the decision to convert. I would start with studying and getting involved with a rabbi and a synagogue. Only later can you really make the decision about converting.

[searchinmyroots]

If you want to visit a synagogue I would call ahead and let them know that you would like to visit and have never been  before. I would see if they can have you sit with someone to explain what is going on. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you go to a synagogue where everything is in Hebrews.

Not sure what you mean by initiation process, but if you mean during conversion yes. You have to appear before a bet din, go to the mikveh, and have a bris for males who are not circumcised or a drop of blood drawn if they are.

I don't know of any Jews who carry items with them to protect them from evil. No belief in evil spirits for me.

It seems you don't have an extensive knowledge of Judaism yet to be able to really make the decision to convert. I would start with studying and getting involved with a rabbi and a synagogue. Only later can you really make the decision about converting.

As always, good advice Chavak!

[DutifulWebmaster]

If you want to visit a synagogue I would call ahead and let them know that you would like to visit and have never been  before. I would see if they can have you sit with someone to explain what is going on. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you go to a synagogue where everything is in Hebrews.

Not sure what you mean by initiation process, but if you mean during conversion yes. You have to appear before a bet din, go to the mikveh, and have a bris for males who are not circumcised or a drop of blood drawn if they are.

I don't know of any Jews who carry items with them to protect them from evil. No belief in evil spirits for me.

It seems you don't have an extensive knowledge of Judaism yet to be able to really make the decision to convert. I would start with studying and getting involved with a rabbi and a synagogue. Only later can you really make the decision about converting.

Thank you for your help Chavak