Conversion When The Wife Does Not Want to Convert

Question

Dear Rabbi,

I am currently studying for conversion with a Reform rabbi. Yet the more I look into things, the more interested I get in Conservative Judaism. I and my wife are both in our mid-40's; our youngest, 16, is also interested in conversion. We can have no further children, barring a miracle.
My question is this: my wife has at this time no interest in conversion. Given the Conservative view on mixed marriages, would I be able to convert Conservative?

Answer

An answer was written (in 1993) by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement, on this very question. The members of the committee came to the conclusion that it is allowed to convert a person whose spouse does not convert, because the mixed marriage resulting from this is only a consequence of the conversion and not an active act of a Jew marrying a non-Jew. However they also state that the convert "has a greater difficulty in fulfilling Jewish responsibility and achieving a Jewish lifestyle" therefore they continue: "The Rabbi and the Bet Din who supervise and carry out the conversion have responsibility to make sure that the non-converting spouse... is supportive of the convert and will cooperate with the convert in maintaining standards of kashrut, Shabbat and holiday observance etc...".
Joel, this is the question conservative Rabbis will ask you - Are you sure that you will be able to keep a Jewish lifestyle in your home? The conversion is only the first step; afterwards you have to be able to practice your Judaism.
Those are very important questions you should discuss in your family, before making such big decisions.
I hope I helped a little in clarifying the issues.

All the best,

Rabbi Monique Susskind Goldberg
June 25 2004