What is the conversion ceremony?

Conversion consists of two or three parts: the person must accept the Jewish faith voluntarily and audibly, must be immersed in a mikveh (ritual bath), and, in the case of a male, must be circumcised. The new convert will generally be given a new Hebrew name. "Ruth," for example, is quite common among female converts, as Ruth - the ancestor of King David - was a convert. The ceremony makes the person a full-fledged Jew, with all the rights and all the obligations involved. This is a one-way street. Once a person has been formally converted, any attempt to leave the Jewish religion is considered to be unavailing - just as a person who is born a Jew by Jewish law cannot possibly leave his religion.

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