Here to Ger website.png
Here to Ger website.png

From Here To Ger: Design The Ritual for Your Own Conversion (2026)

from $299.00

with Miriam Terlinchamp and Margot Valles
—
When

Thursdays · 8 weeks · Starts March 12, 2026
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm Eastern Time / 9:00 am - 10:30 am Pacific Time
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All students in this class must first take our Intro course, Judaism Inbound (available this semester).

Join fellow seekers embarking upon the final stage of affirming Jewish identity in a class designed to nurture the space between being and becoming. Through exploring the origins of conversion, the history of Jewish converts, and the creativity inherent in Jewish rituals, students will create their own affirmation ritual for conversion. Within the supportive context of a cohort of friends walking the same path, students will be in conversation with one another’s stories while also grounding their experience in sacred Jewish wisdom. The culmination of the class experience will involve actualizing the conversion rituals and welcoming our newest Jews into our Judaism Unbound community. 

COURSE GOALS:

  • Empower students to craft their own conversion ritual.

  • Provide students with the contemporary and historical context of Jewish conversion rituals.

  • Create a community of conversation, mutual support and co-learning.

  • Facilitate the actualization of the student designed rituals.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will…

  • Relate the process of ritual creation to their own story.

  • Assess the relevance and significance of Jewish conversion rituals for their own journey.

  • Explain how their ritual choices intersect with the historical context of Jewish conversion rituals.

  • Design a conversion ritual that is personally meaningful and deeply Jewish.

  • Celebrate the culmination of their journeys through actualized rituals of their design.

COURSE STRUCTURE:

This is an 8-session, weekly course made up of live core classes. We will meet synchronously on Zoom for 90 minutes each Thursday from 12:00-1:30pm EST. All sessions will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of the class. 

Since this class aims to create and actuate a ritual, there will be assignments outside of class to help enhance your study as well as a class Geneva group. This is a space for building relationships and processing our learnings as a community. In addition, students will be matched with a chevruta, a study companion, and there will be optional community building sessions for those who are interested. 

If you are looking for a mentor to support you further check out our partnership with Darshan Yeshiva. This is a tailored, one-on-one experience specifically for those interested in conversion. 

—

This class will be recorded and available to enrolled students to watch later.

Cost

This course is available at a sliding scale cost of $499 (the true cost), $399 or $299.

If you can afford the full price, we hope you will choose that option, which allows us to continue to offer lower rates and scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to access this learning because of financial barriers.

Click here to donate to JUs financial aid fund to support financial equity and access to education for all students.

If you need financial aid beyond the sliding scale, please fill out this simple form, and we will get right back to you.

On some devices you may need to hover over the prices below to see them, our apologies for this issue.

Sliding Scale Prices:

with Miriam Terlinchamp and Margot Valles
—
When

Thursdays · 8 weeks · Starts March 12, 2026
12:00 noon - 1:30 pm Eastern Time / 9:00 am - 10:30 am Pacific Time
—

All students in this class must first take our Intro course, Judaism Inbound (available this semester).

Join fellow seekers embarking upon the final stage of affirming Jewish identity in a class designed to nurture the space between being and becoming. Through exploring the origins of conversion, the history of Jewish converts, and the creativity inherent in Jewish rituals, students will create their own affirmation ritual for conversion. Within the supportive context of a cohort of friends walking the same path, students will be in conversation with one another’s stories while also grounding their experience in sacred Jewish wisdom. The culmination of the class experience will involve actualizing the conversion rituals and welcoming our newest Jews into our Judaism Unbound community. 

COURSE GOALS:

  • Empower students to craft their own conversion ritual.

  • Provide students with the contemporary and historical context of Jewish conversion rituals.

  • Create a community of conversation, mutual support and co-learning.

  • Facilitate the actualization of the student designed rituals.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will…

  • Relate the process of ritual creation to their own story.

  • Assess the relevance and significance of Jewish conversion rituals for their own journey.

  • Explain how their ritual choices intersect with the historical context of Jewish conversion rituals.

  • Design a conversion ritual that is personally meaningful and deeply Jewish.

  • Celebrate the culmination of their journeys through actualized rituals of their design.

COURSE STRUCTURE:

This is an 8-session, weekly course made up of live core classes. We will meet synchronously on Zoom for 90 minutes each Thursday from 12:00-1:30pm EST. All sessions will be recorded and made available exclusively to members of the class. 

Since this class aims to create and actuate a ritual, there will be assignments outside of class to help enhance your study as well as a class Geneva group. This is a space for building relationships and processing our learnings as a community. In addition, students will be matched with a chevruta, a study companion, and there will be optional community building sessions for those who are interested. 

If you are looking for a mentor to support you further check out our partnership with Darshan Yeshiva. This is a tailored, one-on-one experience specifically for those interested in conversion. 

—

This class will be recorded and available to enrolled students to watch later.

Cost

This course is available at a sliding scale cost of $499 (the true cost), $399 or $299.

If you can afford the full price, we hope you will choose that option, which allows us to continue to offer lower rates and scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to access this learning because of financial barriers.

Click here to donate to JUs financial aid fund to support financial equity and access to education for all students.

If you need financial aid beyond the sliding scale, please fill out this simple form, and we will get right back to you.

On some devices you may need to hover over the prices below to see them, our apologies for this issue.

 

Meet Miriam

Miriam (she/her) is the Executive Director of Judaism Unbound. Miriam served as Senior Rabbi of Temple Sholom in Cincinnati, Ohio for 13 years, founded JustLOVE, a multi-faith movement for activists and teaches in the Unyeshiva and at HUC-JIR. She is active on several boards and committees within the Cincinnati community, including serving as the current President of the Board of Rabbis and sits on the National Clergy Advisory Council for Faith in Action. Miriam was ordained in 2010 at HUC-JIR, Los Angeles and received her BA in Philosophy of Religion and Studio Art from Scripps College. Miriam loves to write, paint, and make ridiculously fun videos about Jewish values. She lives in Ohio with her daughters, partner, and dog

Meet Margot

Margot B. Valles (she/her) is an independent rabbi based in East Lansing, Michigan. She taught Jewish literature in the English and Religious Studies departments at Michigan State University from 2013-2020 (PhD '13, IU-Bloomington). She was a Lilly Teaching Fellow in 2017-2018. In 2021 she earned a Certificate in Jewish Leadership for Educators from the Spertus Institute. She received rabbinic ordination from the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary (PRS) in 2023. For the last seven years, she has worked as the Director of Congregational Lifelong Learning at a local synagogue. In 2023 she also founded The Shtibl (www.shtibl.org), an organization that helps local folks enrich, connect and empower themselves Jewishly. Now she is starting a new project focusing on the intersection of kink and Judaism.