Journey to Reform Judaism: Embracing My Path and Finding Home

Hi, I’m Jules, and I am converting to Reform Judaism. If you don’t know what that is, look it up, because I will not be explaining that in this particular video. However, you can check out the playlist to kind of understand the journey that I have been on for almost the last year and a half. So today we went to the site where I will have my mikvah. Um, it’s kind of equivalent to, like, a baptism and Christianity, but, um, once I am completed the process, Rabbi approves. We’ll go to the mikvah, it’s like a little pool, and I’ll recite some prayers and dip in it three times. On the third time, I come up as a Jewish woman. Time frame? I thought it was going to be a year, but, um, due to the fact that the High Holidays are happening soon, if you don’t know what those are, Google them. But the High Holidays will be happening soon and all that. Um, my conversion will more than likely be complete in spring of 2025. It was so exciting to be in the room where I will have that mikvah. I felt like, really good energy and at peace. Um, I have been so proud of myself throughout this entire journey because it’s hard for me to finish a book. I didn’t finish college. But I have put in the time, energy, and money to invest in this journey, and I’m so proud of myself. That I committed to this journey, and I’m continuing on in this journey. I feel even more proud of it because I. The journey had nothing to do with, oh, I want to convert, because my boyfriend, as you as sure, I want to convert, because it just felt. I had always been curious about it. But when I decided to start the journey last June, I was like, it’s time for me to get started. And then I just did it, and I’m doing it for me. This journey has been all about me. Um, my kids are not doing it, my friends are not doing it. It’s just me. It’s for me. This part of my life has been me reclaiming my time. It has been all about me. And I wish that more women realize that, just in life in general, much, much earlier. It’s all about you. You are the writer and narrator of your own story, and you can do whatever you want. It might not be converting to Judaism or whatever, but it’s all about you. And I’m just feeling so good. We’re back at synagogue, and this is our final class for this part in the journey. They’ve, uh, got dinner catered for us to kind of celebrate this being our last class. Uh, the next part of the journey, I will be, uh, paired up with a member of clergy. I will be adopted by a family here and really get to Even more so immerse myself in the culture that I will be a part of. Um, this past year has really been transforming. I don’t feel like I’m missing Christmas. I don’t feel, you know, anything like that. I really feel like it’s actually a part of my life because I’ve been putting in the work and the effort and and, and partaking in habits and rituals and, um, coming to synagogue. So it doesn’t feel foreign to me anymore. Even the synagogue that I attend, it doesn’t feel odd. I don’t feel out of place. So I finally feel 100% at home. And every step of the journey, each step has been me being like, this is right, this is good, this is perfect. And I’ve met so many amazing people, and the synagogue that I am a part of does so many amazing things for civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, um, uh, families in horrible financial situations, and I love being a part of that. And you can actually see the work that they’re doing. Um, so yeah, that’s where I’m at in my journey thus far. I am still very much on it and I’ll give you guys more updates as I feel like posting them.