JTA is soliciting readers’ ideas for reversing the tide of Jewish assimilation in America. Here’s today’s featured idea:
We need to increase the number of converts to Judaism.
Converts who marry native Jews raise their children and lead Jewish lives in ways that are virtually identical with Jewish families in which both spouses were born Jewish.
We can seek converts from among the intermarried, those with a Jewish ancestor, those who identify in one way or another with the Jewish people, and those on a spiritual search.
Let us be forthright in saying we welcome converts, and let us make information about conversion readily available. Let’s have an 800 number for those seeking advice or a rabbi, an online listing of rabbis willing to help potential converts, printed materials in all synagogues, advertisements in Jewish and non-Jewish media about Introduction to Judaism classes.
Lawrence J. Epstein
Stony Brook, New York
Read more ideas for stemming the tide of American Jewish disengagement here.
To share your idea, send an email describing one concrete idea in 200 words or less to jewishfuture@jta.org (include your full name, city, and state or country). Our favorites will be featured online.
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