Will I be accepted as a Jew if I'm an Asian & a convert? Worried no good Jewish guy's parents will accept me.?

If someone looks at you with bias or discrimination in a Jewish community because you look different than the others in that synagogue, they're not honoring Jewish law.

Race has never defined Jewish identity and should never be a factor in determining Jewishness. Period.

Jewisian reads very odd to me, you'll be Jewish. Your race doesn't determine what "kind" of Jew you are. If you join a community whose culture is distinct, that community usually has a name of reference for the particular Jewish culture. Jews from Yemen look different than Jews from Shanghai, most certainly..but they're all Jews no matter what their accent in the Hebrew prayers sounds like or what shade their skin. There are scattered Asian Jewish communities, for example father attended services in Hong Kong and in Shanghai with Chinese Jews during World War 2 . He found the Jews of Shanghai most warm and welcoming.

Good luck in your studies. I hope one day to welcome you into the tribe.

Shalom

edit: I failed to note some things earlier. Unfortunately because of bigotry to Jews and headlines from scattered Jewish communities across the world of some attacks and threats..any stranger, no matter what color or ethnicitiy is often "looked" at a little more carefully these days. When visiting a synagogue, it might be wise to call ahead, especially if you don't know if that community has received threats recently. That's a sad state of the world we're in now.

And now for strictly a Jewish mama's opinion for what it's worth. I married a non Jew who respects the role of Judaism in my life and while he has never wished to convert to join the tribe..as parents and partners we have raised our child in Judaism. My husband doesn't like "organized religion" or even the label Noahide and will state he has no religious preference, even though he fits the definition of a Noahide, perhaps closer than some I've met who profess to be one!

I do not recommend intermarriage against Jewish law, even though I did it...every thing has it's risks and pitfalls and I recognize the wisdom in people marrying others who share their faith convictions. The admonition against intermarriage refers to marriage between a Jew and someone not a Jew, it has nothing about race or ethnicity in there. It is an obligation for Jews to pass along Judaism to the next generation. We don't go out and actively seek converts, but we welcome them as family and try to keep the love of Torah alive in our family for the next generation of the eternal covenant. Any sincere convert to Judaism is as Jewish as Ruth in the Tanakh

I am the mother of a Jewish teenaged boy and I hope that he will want to find a life mate with a woman who shares his faith. I also want to one day spoil some Jewish grandchildren rotten.

It would make no difference to me if my son loved a convert or someone from the line of the Kohenim.

It would make absolutely no difference to me what color skin or accent any future daughter in law has..what I pray for is that my son finds love with a woman who loves him as much as I love his father and who is loyal, honest, compassionate and just...and of course if she's Jewish as I hope..will share with him in taking up Tikkun Olam for the next generation.

Of course, I couldn't be a hypocrite and tell him I'd disown him if he couldn't find a life partner in a Jewish woman but I must admit that I'd rather see my grandchildren raised as ethical atheists than in any other religion..I can't wrap my head around anyone coming from a perspective of growing up in Judaism who could raise a child to worship anything other than God. If that happened, I'd just deal with it and love my family for who they are. That's not bigotry to the right of others. As a child of a father who was raised Orthodox and mother raised Reform, who both taught me the very Jewish values that racism is wrong I don't think that you're being looked at by people in the congregation because of your skin but because Jews are simply protective people. We've had to be.

Am Yisrael Chai.

You've gotten some good answers from Jews here. I only want to add the following, for Troy--whose answer is a joke... Anyone who believes in Jesus as G-d or messiah or ANYthing, and then converts to Judaism, has done so under false pretenses, and their conversion isn't valid. Most Rabbis are very careful to weed out such liars--because that's what they are. You canNOT convert to Judaism and believe that a man was G-d. You canNOT convert to Judaism and believe that Jesus was the messiah when he fulfilled none--not one--of the prophecies. I spoke once with a Rabbi who had been fooled, and had converted one of these people. The person denied any belief in Christianity in order to become a Jew, but right after conversion he began to loudly trumpet that he was now a 'completed Jew'. Unbelievable, dishonest, and it's terribly destructive to the reputation of Christians among honest Jews. Why isn't Christianity enough for these people? Why is their religion so lacking that they have to co-opt--and parody--ours? The messianics I've met--and it's true that few of them ever WERE Jews--the messianics I've met have been breathtakingly dishonest. They'll lie to an observant Jew about their beliefs, while trying to gain converts among Jews who aren't knowledgeable. Honestly, there are few people for whom I have total contempt--but messianics lead the list.

Once you have gone through an orthodox conversion then you are 100% Jewish according to all authorities.

People shouldn't look at you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable but don't let that put you off some people just feel the need to look.

If a good Jewish guys parents don't accept you then they are wrong because once you have converted you are as Jewish as their dear son.

Maybe have a good chat with your Rabbi about your concerns and also I would recommend that you read the book Bamboo Cradle which has been recommended by other posters and also My Sister The Jew by Ahuva Gray it's an autobiography by a black lady who went from being a Christian minister to becoming an orthodox Jew.

Take a look at "The Bamboo Cradle." It's a book by a man who adopted a Chinese baby who became an observant Jew. (When a non-Jewish child is adopted, they can choose to become a Jew when they reach about 13 years of age and she did.)

There are Asian Jews. There are a few who I can think of in my own community. There are two mitzvahs related to accepting a convert and treating them properly. People will be people, and I don't think there's any denying that you may look a little different than a lot of Jews, and it may even be as you say that some won't want to marry you, but many will and many won't care. I know of one convert who was raised Southern Baptist in the South (there are actually a good number of these... they start learning Hebrew to try and missionize and realize they've been reading mistranslations their whole life), and his father finally came to terms with his conversion to Judaism, but when he married a black girl... not so good. He dated a while, but this same girl's name kept popping up, and that's who turned out to be right for him.

If and when you do convert, make sure to do it properly... that means accepting all the mitzvos in the Torah, e.g. if some group of Jews says it's a conversion but you can drive your car on Shabbos in direct violation of a Torah commandment not to light a fire on Shabbos, it's time to look elsewhere for Torah-authentic Judaism.

Feel free to email me if you'd like to talk further.

We all get looks when we are new to a community.

Your Rabbi is correct we all are converts as our father Avrahom was a convert. For the most part you will be accepted as 100% Jewish. I say for the most part, because unfortunately there are some small minded Jewish people who do not accept converts.Thankfully they are few and far between.

I hope you chose to convert Orthodox as this is the only conversion recognized by all.

Welcome to the tribe !

Hi , maybe its too late for answer you..

Actually if you convert you are called 100% jew , don t worry.

You can marry another convert jew.

If you dont want a convert , I can tell you that I know about a Japanese man that converted and married a israeli jew girl.

So don t worry.

I would like to know , what you did in the end , did you convert?

In this day & age a lot of family adopt children from China (little girls mostly). So in the Jewish community, there are those adoptees & yes, they are Jewish.

I don't know who your friends are, but if they are Jewish - please ask your Rabbi to talk to them. They sound like mean people who are just trying to make you feel bad. Are they even Jewish - because I have never heard someone Jewish talk about Jewish blood. That is a HITLER concept, & we get grossed out by it.

You get a look because you are new to the synaguoge, & okay, so you look a little different. But how are people treating you? Has anyone said you shouldn't join? Have you asked people there this question, where you can read their facial expressions? Jews come in every shape & size, & no one's going to question your Jewishness because of that. If they have an issue with their kid marrying someone who looks different it's because they are a bigot, not because you aren't Jewish enough for them.

Welcome to the community, if you decide to join!!

Judaism is a religion, not a race.

In my Orthodox/Jewish community at a major U.S city, there are quite a few converts; some are Asian, some African-Americans, and some Latino. They have been warmly embraced by the community, and their experience has been mostly positive.

I do not think you have to worry. Your color does not matter. The truth is, we Jews come in all colors. A visit to Israel will convince you of that:)

Once someone converts to Judaism they are Jewish. There are no reservations about race, ethnicity or former religion. It is forbidden to treat a convert any differently to someone born to a Jewish mother (and therefore Jewish by birth) or even to remind them that they are a convert or to describe them as a convert to others.

Unfortunately, because of the present political situation, most synagogues now have to have security in place to counter the threat of terrorist attack. As someone of Asian appearance, you may be treated with caution when attending a Synagogue at which you are not known. Please do not be offended. Just as you would not admit someone to your home unless you knew them, it is incumbent on those who are entrusted with the safety of the congregation to ensure that anyone admitted poses no threat. As soon as you become recognised as a member of the congregation you will also be ushered in without fuss to worship in peace and safety.

Did you ever hear of the book "The Bamboo Cradle"? That girl was in my sister's class in Seminary in Israel. She is married to an orthodox Jew and living in Israel. Daven to Hashem and IY"H you will get a yeshua. If you could email or post your hebrew name people could daven for you when you convert.

Just please if you do convert, do it orthodox or else no ben Torah will marry you for you WILL NOT be Jewish with a reform or conservative conversion. One cannot be a Jew by choice because that implies one could back out and if you really convert you cannot back out.

An Asian Jew is even less common than a Black Jew. That said, I know over a dozen, including my cousin's husband and their six children. All the Asian Jews I know are well-loved by their in-laws and none have any problems with them (other than the usual). You have nothing to fear but you do have to learn some things. Orthodox do not go to "Temples" but rather "Synagogues" or "Shuls". Consider joining an Orthodox Gerus group, such as http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodoxconversionto...

The Asian Jews I know include Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, and Filipinos. I also know several second-generation (in addition to my cousins) and they get along well in Yeshivoth.