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<DIV>In a message dated 9/6/2008, Chana@kolsassoon.org.uk writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>>>I just wanted to comment on this statement of RTK's.
Because there is<BR>an assumption here - which is that the person seeking to
convert wants<BR>to become a Jew. Now in Israel that is likely to be
pretty much true<BR>(as they want everything that comes with being a Jew in
Israel).<BR>However in Chutz L'aretz, surprisingly often I suspect that it
is<BR>actually not true. <<</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV>>>>></DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff></FONT></STRONG><FONT lang=0 face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><B><BR></B><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============<BR><BR></B><BR></DIV></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Psssst...Have you heard the news? <A title="http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014" href="http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014" target="_blank">There's a new fashion blog, plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>