Please note that Exploring Judaism is paused while our rabbi is on sabbatical. They will resume upon his return after June 30th 2025.
Exploring Judaism is the course of instruction for potential converts. It is also sometimes open to those who do not wish to convert but want to explore Judaism to help a Jewish partner.
The main purpose of the course is to help you feel at home within your chosen community and at ease in any Jewish situation. It aims to give you a solid background knowledge of Judaism, complemented by experiential learning of what it means to live as a Jew.
Subjects that will be covered include Jewish history, the Bible and other Jewish source books, religious obligations and belief. You will also learn where Judaism differs from other faith traditions, and where Progressive Judaism differs from other forms of Judaism.
Part of your tuition will include basic Hebrew language skills. Hebrew is an integral part of Jewish culture, and a basic familiarity will help you to understand key concepts. It is expected that all candidates will learn to read Hebrew sufficiently well to follow the service and to perform the important rituals in home and synagogue.
You will be expected to acquire your own copies of the Liberal Judaism’s prayer books, Siddur Lev Chadash and Machzor Ruach Chadashah (for the High Holy Days). These contain not only prayers, but also many inspirational readings that will help you to acquire a sense of our approach to Jewish life.
Students are encouraged to view the course as only the beginning of their Jewish learning. Ongoing study and continued personal and spiritual growth are important elements within Jewish life.
Length of the course
It is difficult to say how long the course will take, but the shortest will be a calendar year from registration as a candidate. All candidates will need to have personally observed the full cycle of festival services; otherwise this could delay acceptance.
Remember that the pace will depend on your own motivation; the Rabbi will not try to hurry you through.
Assessment
At the end of the course you will be asked to submit the following for assessment:
- An essay entitled “What Being Jewish Means to Me”. This essay should demonstrate a good working knowledge of the main teachings of Judaism, and include material on the principles of Liberal Judaism and the duties of a Jew.
- either (a) an essay concerning one of the following: “The Jewish Life Cycle”, “Jewish Ethics”, “The Jewish Festivals”, or a topic of Jewish history or interest by agreement with your rabbi. Or (b) a document confirming that you have passed an oral test of the above subject areas. The oral test will generally be administered by a Rabbi other than the sponsoring rabbi, who will submit his or her report to the Rabbinic Board.
For more information on conversion beyond the course of study, download this leaflet.