How is conversion handled within Conservative Judaism?
Conservative rabbis scrupulously follow halacha in conversion. The traditional ritual requirements of milah (circumcision, for men) and t'vilah (ritual immersion in a mikveh) are absolutely required. A comprehensive course of study covering Jewish law, practice, Hebrew and history is mandatory, and the conversion is only completed after a Beit Din (religious court) has ascertained the prospective convert's sincerity, conviction and knowledge.
The prospective convert must be Kabbalat Ol Mitzvot (accept that the mitzvot are binding) which at a minimum means that all mitzvot are accepted in general, and none are rejected in specific. Rabbi Haim Ozer Grodensky, a leading early 20th centuy halakhist, writes that if the candidate for conversion stipulates that he be exempt from fulfilling one mitzvah or another, then he is not accepted. But if he makes no such stipulation, and merely thinks that he won't follow all mitzvot out of the inconvenience, this does not render him invalid for conversion. (Responsa Ahiezer, Part 3, No.26).
In recent generations, most Orthodox rabbis have begun to require that all converts promise to live a Shomer Mitzvot life (totally observant of all Jewish law). This requirement, while laudable, has been rejected as unnecessary by Jewish authorities from Talmudic times onward. (1) The Talmudic requirements simply read "We inform the candidate for conversion of some of the easier and more severe commandments, but we do not enlarge on this matter and do not go into detail" (Yevamot 47a-b). The late Sephardic Rabbi Uzziel, commenting on this passage, adds that conversion is not contingent upon someone becoming totally observant, for "It may well be that he will have children who will be more positive in fulfilling the candidates". (Mishpetei Uzziel no.58).
Most Orthodox authorities reject Conservative conversions because they view Conservative Judaism as heresy, and thus claim that no Conservative rabbi is fit to serve on a a Beit Din. In fact, this is a matter of politics, not halakha, and thus one finds that some Modern Orthodox rabbis in fact do accept Conservative conversions.
Conservative rabbis can not accept the validity of most American Reform conversions, because the Central Conference of American Rabbis (the official body of American Reform rabbis) formally resolved to permit the admission of converts "without any initiatory rite, ceremony, or observance whatever." (2) Although this resolution has been examined critically by some Reform rabbis, the resolution still remains the official policy of American Reform Judaism (3). Thus, North American Reform Judaism does not require ritual immersion in a mikveh, nor circumcision, nor acceptance of any mitzvot as normative, nor the appearance before a Bet Din, nor does Reform mandate even a minimal course of Jewish study. [This is not true of most Reform Judaism outside of the USA; Non-USA Reform Judaism is somewhat more traditional]
However, the official position of the Conservative movement is that Reform conversions can be accepted by all Conservative rabbis as long as they include the halachic requirements of milah and t'vilah and a course of study. Unlike most Orthodox rabbis, who consider all Reform conversions as null and void, Conservative rabbis rule each case on its own merits. Conservative Judaism teachs that we should assume that the convert was judged as sincere and knowledgeable by competent witnesses. This is in accordance both with the halachic injunction to love the convert as well as the injunction not to prejudge the witness. For more details, see the teshuvot on the subject in "Proceedings of Committee on Jewish Law and Standards: 1980-1985, p.77-101.
notes:
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1. Issac Klein, "A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice" p.440-448
2. CCAR Yearbook 3 (1893), 73-95; American Reform Responsa (ARR), no. 68, at 236-237.
3. CCAR Responsa "Circumcision for an Eight-Year-Old Convert" 5756.13 and R. Solomon B. Freehof, "Reform Responsa for Our Time", no. 15.
For those considering converting to Judaism, see the Conservative movement's FAQ on intermarriage and conversion.
http://www.uscj.org/intmar/
Also see the homepage for conversion to Judaism, at:
http://www.convert.org/
