Conversion

Facing exile and persecution, an Iranian dissident crossed from devout Muslim to student of Judaism

IRANIAN AFFAIRS: Iranian refugee Behnam Vali Heydarian recounts persecution, attacks, pro-Israel activism, and fears of deportation to Iran after his journey from Islam to Christianity and Judaism.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
IRANIAN ACTIVISTS display the Lion and Sun flag alongside Israel’s flag outside Georgia’s parliament at one of the rallies that interviewee Behnam Vali Heydarian says he was pressured to stop organizing.
Rubaha, 8, watches from the entrance of her home as a buffalo is held down for sacrificial slaughter in celebration of Eid al-Adha in the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan, June 8, 2025.

European Parliament demands Pakistan free 13-year-old Christian girl in forced marriage, conversion

Shahbaz was married to her abductor in March, despite most provinces requiring a person to be at least 18 to marry.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
RALLYING IN JERUSALEM for the Bnei Anusim.

Latin American Jewish converts caught between communal bans and Israel’s Law of Return

The Nascent Sanhedrin is urging Israeli authorities to recognize Orthodox converts from Latin America and reopen a path long blocked by communal policy.

|ByRIVKAH LAMBERT ADLER
A Yazidi woman holds a flame during the Charshama Sor Red New Year ceremony at the Lalish temple in Iraq in April. For a community repeatedly driven from its ancestral homes and subjected to forced conversions, religious tradition has become an enduring expression of survival and continuity.

From forced conversion to genocide: How Yazidis carry centuries of persecution into exile

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: The Islamic interpretation of the Yazidi faith is what members of ISIS used to justify the enslavement of over 6,000 women and children and the murder of more than 5,000 people.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Israelis killed on October 7 denied Jewish burials due to halachic status

The incidents came to light on Monday during a Knesset discussion about expediting the conversion process for those currently serving in the IDF.

NOVEMBER 13, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Alina Falahati, 21, who was murdered on October 7 and buried 'outside the fence' due to her halachic status (she had not completed the conversion process to Judaism.)

Accused antisemite Kat Von D renounces witchcraft, converts to Christianity

The famous tattoo artist shared a video of her baptism on Instagram.

OCTOBER 6, 2023ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Tattoo artist Kat Von D poses at the premiere of "Jackass 3D" at Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California October 13, 2010. The movie opens in the U.S. on October 15.

Phoenix Suns will retire Amar'e Stoudemire's number

The Suns announced Wednesday that Stoudemire, along with his teammate Shawn Marion, would be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor during the 2023-2024 NBA season.

AUGUST 11, 2023ByJACOB GURVIS/JTA
Amar'e Stoudemire, 2009.

Converting to Judaism: Is it good for the Jews? - opinion

The current hurdles to entry at many Orthodox beit dins are almost impossible for the individuals who wish to join our ranks, and the process leaves a lot to be desired.

JULY 5, 2023ByADAM MINTZ, JONATHAN LEENER, AVRAM MLOTEK
Beit din religous court 311

Sicily’s Jews have their first rabbi in 500 years, but aren't accepted

In an ongoing point of frustration, the formal organization representing Italian Jewry (UCEI), does not recognize them as Jews.

JUNE 15, 2023ByDAVID I. KLEIN/JTA
A view of Mount Etna, Europe's highest and most active volcano, crater of Sud-Est on the island of Sicily, Italy, June 11, 2022.

'Being a Nation State': Evolution of Israel's Jewish, democratic balance - review

Tensions have moved along two interrelated axes in Israeli society: between Jewishness as a national identity and democracy; and Judaism as a religion and democracy.

JUNE 3, 2023ByGLENN C. ALTSCHULER
A MARCH from Ramat Gan to Bnei Brak in protest of the haredi community’s monetary demands for the upcoming budget, last month.

Shavuot: 7 things converts can teach us about Judaism

Just as our sages learned about Jewish affirmations from Ruth, so I have found through my work with converts that we can learn much about Judaism from them.

MAY 26, 2023ByRAPHAEL SHUCHAT
FOR MANY converts, the original impetus was not actually a Jewish partner. Pictured: Huppa in Cape Town, 1979.

Ukrainians trying to convert to Judaism in Israel face Kafkaesque trials

Yael and Aaron Agpov from Ukraine had tried to convert to Judaism in 2022, but then the war broke out. This, plus Israel's Kafkaesque bureaucracy, thrust them into uncertainty.

MAY 25, 2023ByALAN ROSENBAUM
THE AGPOV family with ITIM head Rabbi Seth Farber (L) after receiving Israeli citizenship at the Netanya Interior Ministry offices.

Condoms and tikkun olam: An Orthodox woman strives to aid sex workers in Prague

L’Chaim is an organization dedicated to helping sex workers in the Czech Republic.

MAY 24, 2023ByDINAH SPRITZER/JTA
Yael Schoultz founded a group called L'Chaim, which counsels and supports sex workers.

Editor's Notes: Love the convert

As Jews in Israel and around the world read the Book of Ruth during the holiday of Shavuot, it is worth asking how beloved converts truly are today.

MAY 24, 2023ByAVI MAYER
THEN-JEWISH AGENCY CHAIRMAN Natan Sharansky speaks at a protest held outside the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem, in 2016. The signs read ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and ‘Judaism without coercion.’