[Avodah] Geirut

[T613K at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/6/2008, Chana at kolsassoon.org.uk writes:

>>I just wanted to comment on this statement of RTK's.   Because there is
an assumption here - which is that the person seeking to  convert wants
to become a Jew.  Now in Israel that is likely to be  pretty much true
(as they want everything that comes with being a Jew in  Israel).
However in Chutz L'aretz, surprisingly often I suspect that it  is
actually not true. <<

>>>>
When my husband was the rabbi of the Orthodox shul in Chattanooga, there  was 
just this situation.  We had members of our shul whose son was engaged  to a 
non-Jewish woman, and these members wanted my husband to convert the  
non-Jewish fiancee.  She was very open and honest in saying that she was  prepared to 
convert to make her in-laws happy, but she didn't believe in G-d and  had no 
intention of actually practicing any religion.  
 
In the minds of the young man's parents, an Orthodox conversion would make  
their daughter-in-law Jewish and it didn't matter to them if she didn't 
actually  practice Judaism -- their own son didn't either.  (The parents themselves  
were somewhat traditional, the mother keeping more than the father -- she lit  
candles, kept kosher -- but not really an observant family.)   They  didn't 
at all grasp the concept of a convert having to accept mitzvos -- what  we've 
been callin KOM in these pages.  They didn't think of conversion as a  
life-long commitment to behave a certain way forever.  They thought of it  as a rite 
that is done once and for all -- like a baby's bris -- and then you  don't have 
to worry about it anymore.
 
Obviously I think my husband was right halachically and as a matter of  
policy, but I am wondering whether, in R'n CL's mind, those parents were  actually 
right halachically.  Does she think that my husband should have  done such a 
conversion?  Had he done so, would this young woman  actually be halachically 
Jewish?  The young couple went to the C rabbi, and  he performed the conversion 
and the marriage.  Our shul lost what could  have been a very fine atheist 
pork-eating Jewish family, well-educated  and affluent.  Was that the wrong 
decision?  If I understand what  RCL has been saying, the failure to accept KOM 
would not invalidate a  conversion.  But what about the fact that the young 
woman really didn't  care whether she was a Jew or not -- had no special desire to 
be a Jew?   Just wanted to marry her guy and please her in-laws?  Would that 
invalidate  the conversion?
 


--Toby  Katz
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