Survey for Jews by choice Lishmah survey for Jews by choiceYour experience of JudaismThese questions will help greatly in deciding what resources to first provide via LISHMAH. Your time in responding is very much appreciated. You may take this questionnaire anonymously if you wish.How long do you consider you have you been a Jew by Choice?less than 2 years2- 5 years5-10 yearsover 10 yearsWhat was it that drew you to Judaism? What do you really love about being Jewish?Which of the following challenges, if any, have you experienced since you became Jewish or began to practice your Judaism? Please select all that apply or add your own.Making friends or fitting into community generallyAccessing Jewish teaching at convenient times or price pointHaving people to talk to about my post-conversion life who are on a similar pathMaking an interfaith family or relationship workOverwhelm - not knowing what to try to learn firstAnti-semitism directed at you personallyFeeling your conversion was questioned or not understoodFinding time in a busy life to learn or practice new thingsBeing Jewish without feeling you have to deny your heritage or pastHebrewFinding relevance in Jewish FestivalsNavigating Christtmas or other cultural festivalsUnderstanding or emotionally engaging with liturgyKnowing the Jewish slant on ethical or lifecycle issues that arose in lifeFinding a role to play in the Jewish communityEstablishing home or personal ritualsExplaining your choices to your family and friendsFeeling able to openly and safely express your own views on Israel/PalestineBeing corrected or criticised in Jewish spacesFeeling another part of your identity eg gender, race, sexuality, disability etc was problematic in Jewish spaces.Other:Which of the following topics would you be interested in if they were presented specifically through the lens of being a Jew by Choice? Choose all that apply or add your own.Torah commentaryTalmud or other ancient wisdom textsExploring liturgy and personal spontaneous prayerCreating personal rituals within the framework of JudaismMaking time for JudaismFiguring out a personal learning pathReviews of books, websites, podcasts etcBuilding communityInterfaith perspectivesEthical topicsPrompts for personal reflection/ journallingExplaining your choices to family and friendsIntegrating Judaism into an existing lifeJewish culture/ travelOther:What description best describes the way you view your denominational affiliation? ( Choose all that apply or add your own.)I am 'just Jewish' or post-denominationalI am a cultural JewI am OrthodoxI am Conservative or MasortiI am Progressive/ Reform/ LiberalI am ReconstructionistI am part of the Renewal movement I attend a shul that is a different denomination to my natural preference because of geographical availabilityOther:Which answer best describes how you engage with synagogues? (Choose all that seem to apply)I have no connection to a synagogueI am involved with an informal group of Jewish who meet regularly such as a chavurah or intentional communityI am a member of a synagogue but attend rarely or infrequentlyI find a lot of my Jewish community onlineI am a regular attendeee at a synagogue but still feel like I struggle to feel I fully belongI am a regular attendee at a synagogue and feel a full part of the communityOther:What Jewish related experience would you like to have in your life that you currently don't have?In due course, would you be interested in writing about your experience for a guest blog on LISHMAH ( either anonymously or revealing your name as you chose)? If so please leave an email in the last question so I can contact you in due course.YesNoOther:Would you like to share a little with me about your Jewish Journey and your experiences of being a Jew by Choice?Personal detailsDo you currently live with or date a non-Jewish partner?YesNoOther:What age are you?If you wish me to know your name (e.g because you would like to write a blog or would like a response to this survey) please leave your name. You can equally remain anonymous if you choose.If you would like a response or to be contacted about blogging please leave your email. it will be used only for those two purposes. (If you wish to receive the newsletter please sign up separately at www.lishmah.org.uk.) After you have completed the survey why not also sign up for our newsletter?
