Editing Conversion to Judaism (section)

{{Short description|Religious conversion of non-Jews}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Jewish outreach}}
[[File:1795-William-Blake-Naomi-entreating-Ruth-Orpah.jpg|thumb|[[Naomi (biblical figure)|Naomi]] entreating [[Ruth (biblical figure)|Ruth]] and [[Orpah]] to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795]]
[[File:Hebrew Pentateuch (The S.S. Teacher's Edition-The Holy Bible - Plate IX).jpg|thumb|A portion of the [[Pentateuch]] in Hebrew, British Library Oriental MS. 1,497 containing Numbers 6:3-10, dated 12th century. Lines of the Pentateuch alternate with the [[Targum]] ascribed to [[Onkelos]] (a convert to Judaism)]]
'''Conversion to Judaism''' ({{langx|he|גִּיּוּר|translit=giyur}} or {{langx|he|גֵּרוּת|translit=gerut}}) is the process by which [[gentile|non-Jews]] adopt the [[Judaism|Jewish religion]] and become [[Gerim (Jewish religious category)|members]] of the Jewish [[ethnoreligion|ethnoreligious community]]. It thus resembles both [[religious conversion|conversion]] to other religions and [[naturalization]].<ref name="Prentiss2003">{{cite book|author=Craig R. Prentiss|title=Religion and the Creation of Race and Ethnicity: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ze30q1hm8uUC&pg=PA85|date=June 2003|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-6700-9|page=85}} "Thus, by converting to Judaism, the religion, a gentile becomes not only a Judahist—one who practices Judaism—but a Jew. Such a one is then part of the Jewish community as much as of the community of Judaism"</ref><ref name="autogenerated1"/> The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring [[Jewish denominations|denomination]]. Furthermore, a conversion done in accordance with one Jewish denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|title=Converting to Judaism|date=12 July 2011|newspaper=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/beliefs/conversion.shtml|access-date=18 November 2016}}</ref> Normally, though not always, the conversions performed by more stringent denominations are recognized by less stringent ones, but not the other way around. A formal conversion is also sometimes undertaken by individuals who are raised Jewish or have Jewish ancestry but who may not be [[Who is a Jew?|considered Jewish]] according to stringent interpretations of [[halakha|traditional Jewish law]].<ref>{{cite news|title=So You Want to Convert to Judaism? It's Not That Easy|first=Uriel|last=Heilman|newspaper=Haaretz|date=6 October 2014|url=http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/features/1.619493|access-date=18 November 2016}}</ref>

There are some groups that have adopted Jewish customs and practices. For example, in [[Russia]] the [[Subbotniks]] have adopted most aspects of Judaism without formal conversion to Judaism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.molokane.org/subbotniki/Russia/antifashist.html |title=Russian Saturday! |publisher=Molokane.org |access-date=2012-07-21}}</ref> However, if Subbotniks, or anyone without a formal conversion, wish to marry into a traditional Jewish community or immigrate to Israel under the [[Law of Return]], they must have a formal conversion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jrtelegraph.com/2008/11/the-plight-of-subbotniks.html |title=The Plight of Subbotniks |website=Jewish Russian Telegraph |date=25 November 2008 |access-date=2012-07-21 |archive-date=17 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817090251/http://www.jrtelegraph.com/2008/11/the-plight-of-subbotniks.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>