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The members of our congregation come from a wonderful tapestry of religious and spiritual upbringings and backgrounds. Some were born into a Jewish household. Some were not and may even still practice all or parts of a religion other than Judaism. Some are “Jews-By-Association” because of marriage or a circle of friends and have developed at least comfort with and feel a positive spiritual resonance from sharing in Jewish celebrations, holidays and holy days. Some even become "Jews-By-Choice,” deciding to enter a journey of study and ritualistic exploration that leads to permanent connection to and participation in the life of the Jewish people. It is important to us at Beth Shir Shalom that this latter process be self-initiated because to declare oneself part of Jewish civilization is a complex, serious, individualized pathway. To that end our Rabbi and Cantor stand ready to assist and accompany those individuals who would like to explore making a commitment to Jewish living, learning, values and practices, that is, conversion. As a first step, a member or non-member investigating the possibility of becoming a Jew-By-Choice should attend our Introduction to Judaism course by Rabbi Comess-Daniels that is held once a year (usually beginning in November) covering all major Jewish holy days, holidays and life cycle events and includes a Shabbat dinner and a Shabbaton (a Shabbat day experience). The two-hour classes are held weekly for eighteen weeks. An official Certificate of Completion will be issued by Rabbi Comess-Daniels to every student who completes all the course requirements. This certificate is usually one of the requirements to sit with a Bet Din (court of three rabbis) for purposes of conversion (of course, the classes may be attended for informational purposes only as well). All Reform rabbis in the area will accept this certificate as a valid indication of completion of an introduction to Judaism course. After the completion of the Introduction to Judaism course, an individualized course of bi-weekly study and a series of discussions with the Rabbi are scheduled. Although it may vary, this series of sessions usually continues about one year and, in a decision made in consultation with the Rabbi, may culminate in a conversion ritual and ceremony should that be the student’s goal.
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