The inspiration for 'Becoming Jewish' -- Finding new meaning. Making the transition ; What defines a Jew? ; Why is culture so important? ; Why convert? ; What is involved? ; Choosing a Hebrew name ; Getting started ; Rabbi shopping ; Finding community online ; The right rabbi for you ; Jewish denominations ; Do you need to learn Hebrew? ; Will your children need to convert? ; Using this book -- Belonging vs. believing. Belief-based religion ; Belonging-based religion ; Will Jews accept you as a convert? ; Will family and friends accept you? ; What does "religious" mean? ; Labels belong on products ; More than a religion ; Your Jewish inheritance room ; Developing your own Jewish customs -- Telling family and friends. Topics considered taboo ; Be honest ; Find a neutral setting ; Gaining support ; Keeping past ties ; Do it for you ; More than you bargained for ; Those awkward moments ; Start living it -- Hitting the books. Choosing your path ; Seeing with a Jewish set of eyes ; TMI! ; Just do it -- Learning an ancient language. Really? Is Hebrew required? ; Language of the Torah ; Curl up with the Dead Sea Scrolls ; Help! ; But it looks so different ; Your secret decoder ring ; Nothing ventured, nothing gained ; Worth the effort -- Honoring Shabbat. Rock star status ; Making Shabbat yours ; The three traditional Shabbat rituals ; A blessing for children ; Do-it-yourself Shabbat ; Weekly farewell party -- Holidays and Holy Days. Early or late? ; More holidays than you can shake a lulav at ; Make your sukkah shine ; The miracle of religious freedom ; The three-hour meal ; The "ten-minute" holiday-- Facing the bet din. Behind the bet din ; Use "we" terms ; Don't sweat it ; Assessing your intent ; Cramming sold separately -- Mikvah and more. The mikvah ; Modesty takes a backseat ; Conversion ceremony ; Circumcision ; Hatafat dam brit ; Brit milah ; Brit milah for newborns ; Calming conversion jitters -- Tradition. Why tradition matters ; More than a nursery ; Brit milah ; Coming-of-age ; Tying the knot ; R.I.P. ; Sacred rituals and customs ; Knowing what's important ; Cornerstones of Judaism ; Making it work -- Living single. The many meanings of "family" ; Finding your own "Jewish mother" ; Don't amputate your past -- All this for a wedding? Turning two into one ; More than art ; Four poles and some fabric ; Walking in circles ; Getting to "I do" ; Sheva berachot (seven blessings) ; The plain gold band ; The groom wore steel-toed shoes ; Getting a get -- Raising Jewish kids. Hang on! Help is on its way ; Q & A ; Live it yourself -- Adult B'nai mitzvah and beyond. Rite of passage ; Facing your fears ; What can you expect? ; Adult B'nai mitzvah syllabus, conservative ; What else can you learn? ; Virtual learning -- Is Madonna Jewish? Understanding the roots ; What is Kabbalah? ; The five layers ; Kabbalah is Jewish ; Kabbalah is not Judaism ; Trying pop Kabbalah ; Is Kabbalah for you? -- Do they hate you too? Centuries of Jew hating ; Eyes wide open ; Should you be concerned? ; Is there a bull's-eye on your back? ; Fertile ground for antisemites ; How to avoid haters ; What can you do about it? ; Reporting hate crimes and beyond ; You're not alone ; A wave of Holocaust denial ; Finding the Jewish activist in you ; Show your chutzpah -- Everyone matters. The gloved one ; Why so many lawyers? ; Making it your own -- Children of Israel. It just feels different ; Bill said it best ; Peace or pipe dream? ; Act for Israel ; All corners of the globe ; Am Yisrael chai! -- Appendix 1. Thirty-nine types of work forbidden on Shabbat -- Appendix 2. Sample conversion courses.
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