Conversion in India

Question

Dear Rabbi,

I am a born Hindu and live in India. For the last year or so I have been exploring a lot about Judaism primarily after the events that happened in Israel for the last four years. As a Hindu I have always been a non-believer in G-d but learning about Judaism has changed all that and I now believe in the L-rd. Since there are very limited resources here in India regarding Judaism and Jews it is impossible to know more but thanks to the internet I have been able to learn a few things about Judaism and I have also gone through the old Testament which has really helped me in changing myself. I have decided to convert to Judaism and study more about Judaism and perhaps even be a Rabbi some day.
I need some guidance and help as to how I should proceed. I am determined to be a Jew.
Awaiting an early response.

Answer

Here in Jerusalem we were delighted to receive your letter, and admire your determination to research and study Judaism. The first step in the conversion process is to learn the basis of Judaism (including among other topics the Old Testament, the Holy Days, the life cycle, the prayers, the laws relating to food ....). I suggest that the best thing would be for you to contact a Jewish community or a synagogue in India where you could begin your quest. It would be even better to find a Rabbi who could direct you, but I understand from what I read that locating a Rabbi in India may prove to be very difficult. However the head of the community or of the synagogue will certainly be able to help you, and to assist you in your studies.
I do not know where you live, but a quick search on the Internet showed that most Jews are living around Bombay. I found this address on the site http://www.amyisrael.co.il/asia/india:

Jewish Community Council of Indian Jewry
c/o The Jewish Club
Jerro Bldg., 2nd floor
137 Mahatma Gandhi Road
Bombay 400 023
Tel. 91 22 270 461, Fax. 91 22 274 129

I hope this is still correct. Another site that seems to have a lot of information about India's Jewish Community is http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/Dinur/Internetresources/India.htmThe site http://www.mavensearch.com/synagogues/synagogues-search.asp?C=396 has a list of synagogues, maybe one is close to where you live. You could try to contact some of them and ask about classes in Judaism. If you find a synagogue, close to you, you could begin to frequent it on Shabbat and Holy days. Please let me know if any of this was useful. Let me know whether you would like some book references, is there a way you can order and buy books published outside of India? You can always buy books on the web, for instance at Amazon or Barnes. Look also on the United Synagogue (from the Conservative Movement) site and bookstore http://www.uscj.org/index1.html. Don't forget to check our Ask the Rabbi site, http://www.schechter.edu/askrabbi/ask.htm at the Schechter Institute

Good luck in your big project! And keep in touch.
Rabbi Monique Susskind Goldberg
December 2004