in case tumblr doesn't log this I sent this on Dec. 29, 2025.

ps: oh, also your conversion! is it over by now? if so, welcome to the tribe!!

Thank you so much for sending this. I have had a hard time of it, mostly physically and somewhat emotionally, but I'm going to do my best to not let that get in my way anymore. It does mean that my writing has suffered; I'm gonna be more scatterbrained for a while, and I hope something coherent gets through anyway.

I am working on Being Back, and I've decided that part of that is talking about my personal life again, including my conversion and the twins. So, for you and everyone else who's reached out (you will all be getting personal messages, don't worry):

The twins are still in the womb. I developed gestational diabetes in the second trimester. Nobody's fault, but I struggled with a lot of guilt anyway. It turns out that I've been able to manage it entirely by improving my diet, so no insulin for me. I am grateful because I already have to do so many injections every day, so not having to deal with yet another needle is good. It's a drag because this time of year is when all the good candy goes on sale. I have purchased one (1) flavored bar of turrón which I'm allowed to have once the doctors clear me.

I am almost certainly going to have a C-section because, well, they're both huge and they don't have the space to turn around and get in the proper position anymore. (Specifically, per the doctor, She is normal-sized for a baby and big for a twin, and He is, quote, "a giant". This could be related to the gestational diabetes, but genetics are just as likely to be the culprit.) It will be scheduled ahead of time, but no date yet. The end of January to the beginning of February are the most likely times. I will know for sure in the next 10 days.

My conversion has been approved by my Rabbi. Getting in front of the beit din is the challenge. I was hoping to get there before my third trimester, but the Masorti beit din in Europe didn't start convening until after it became dangerous for me to travel. We then tried to schedule it for early spring next year in London. That fell through due to cost.

Now the plan is that all of us--me, my spouse, and my children--will go to one of the main Spanish cities in summertime and get approved/dunked. They'll be old enough to travel more safely and in the Cute Stage. My own Rabbi should be able to attend. I'll have family coming in from across the ocean to visit. I am hopeful it will be a lovely time.

My Rabbi has gone from being somewhat indifferent to my and my spouse's conversion to extremely invested in it, entirely because of my kids, which is perfect for me. I wanted my kids to be born Jewish, and the Rabbi understands that the timing's been awful and they won't be, but he's trying to make everything else as easy as possible. He's gone from being gruff to being more gentle and it's been an interesting transformation to witness. I guess this is part of him deciding we're all going to be Jewish soon; his suspicious edge is off.

A, our cantor, has a surgeon friend who does circumcisions. A is going to pay for The Boy's circumcision personally. The Rabbi is going to oversee it and certify it as kosher. The only mohels in Spain are Orthodox and do not provide services to non-Orthodox Jews, and it is more cost effective to have it done surgically and approved/overseen by a Rabbi than it is to fly a mohel in from England or France. Their bigger ceremony will be a naming ceremony, which could happen after they're born but will probably take place once they've gone to the mikveh.

In some ways, not rushing to the beit din and the mikveh will be for the best. I am probably going to be stuck in bed for a while here very soon. That gives me a lot of time to start hardcore studying again, and maintain that habit as well as can be expected with two little ones to care for. The kids will be in the room with me, so I can read whatever I'm reading out loud to them when they're not sleeping.

We did put together a kind-of-baby-shower list on Spanish Amazon, but we should have most of the stuff we'll absolutely need in general. Your offer of help is very kind and well appreciated. I don't want to impose on anybody, so if you really, really wanted to look at that list and see if there's something you'd like to get, I will post it later. Times are hard for everybody, though, so I am not expecting it, especially when this blog has been functionally dead for so many months.

What I mean: I'm observant, but I believe in full equality between the sexes during services.

I am so excited, a little nervous, but thrilled to be starting. I finally understand how and why people like religion. I feel like home and I’ve barely started!

So here’s my intro to the Jewish sides of tumblr, hello! My name is Emma but I also go by Em. I’ve been considering converting for the past 4ish years and I have just started the official process :)

If anyone who’s in these tags sees this and wants to offer kind words, advice, or guidance I’d appreciate it! Especially if you’re a Jew by choice or convert, whatever language you prefer.

The movement as a whole does not. The very basics of what you’re describing is the tenet behind the resolution passed in the 1980s by the Reform movement. The Conservative movement/Rabbinical Assembly at its core and on the whole follows Torah and Talmud definitions (because again…Conservative) and defines Jewishness as being inherited matrilineally.

Are there possibly some Conservative shuls that *recognize* someone as Jewish as long as they have one Jewish parent? Probably. This means that they will focus on welcoming this person into their shul and ensuring that they’re leading a true Jewish life. It doesn’t mean that they believe that person is Jewish by descent.