We recognize the necessity of a new approach to Jewish conversion.

 

We believe:

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1. That Jewish identity is primarily a cultural and ethnic identity.

2. That belief systems are too diverse among Jews to serve as criteria for membership.

3. That joining the Jewish community is a process of cultural identification.

4. That a person who seeks to embrace Jewish identity should be encouraged to do so and should be assisted in this endeavor.

5. That the cultural instruction for conversion should be left to the discretion of each rabbi, congregation, or community.

 

We are convinced that Jewish survival requires creative alternatives to traditional procedures.

 

--Adopted in 1980.