List of converts to Judaism

This article lists nations, groups or tribes, as well as individual people, who have converted to Judaism and have a Wikipedia article about them. This article does not differentiate between the different branches of Judaism. See also Who is a Jew? on issues related to the acceptance of conversions throughout the Jewish community.

(A number of prominent figures, such as Madonna, Demi Moore, have recently become followers of "new age" version of Kabbalah, derived from the body of Jewish mystical teaching also called Kabbalah, but do not consider themselves – and are not considered – Jewish. )

Converted nations, groups or tribes from Christianity

 * Abayudaya
 * Bnei Menashe
 * Bene Ephraim Claim to be Jews who converted to Christianity, then converted back to Judaism
 * B'nai Moshe (Inca Jews)
 * San Nicandro Jews
 * Subbotniks
 * Veracruz Jews

Other converted nations, groups or tribes

 * Idumeans (Edom, 2nd century BCE, conquered and converted by John Hyrcanus)
 * Obadiah the prophet, from a Mideastern religion
 * Ituraeans (Lebanon and Syria, 2nd century BCE, conquered and converted by John Hyrcanus)
 * Adiabene (northern Iraq, 1st century)
 * Helena, queen of Adiabene, from traditional Greek religion.
 * Izates bar Monobaz, king of Adiabene, from a Persian or Mideastern religion.
 * Symacho, wife of Izates bar Monobaz, from a Persian or Mideastern religion.
 * Monobaz II, king of Adiabene, from a Persian or Mideastern religion.
 * Nabataeans, many were forcefully converted by the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus
 * Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia (historical Khazaria), many of whom converted to Judaism en masse in the 8th and 9th Centuries CE from a Khazar religion.
 * Bulan, king of the Khazars, from traditional Khazar religion
 * Himyarite Kingdom (Yemen, 6th century)
 * Tub'a Abu Kariba As'ad, from Arabian religion, was the Himyarite king of Yemen. He ruled Yemen from 390–420 CE.
 * Dhu Nuwas, king of Yemen, from a Mideastern religion
 * Kingdom of Semien (Ethiopia, 4th century)
 * Tribe of Kahina (Northwest Africa, 7th century, disputed)

Former Christian clergy/theologians

 * Nicolas Antoine, French-Christian Protestant theologian
 * William G. Dever, former evangelical minister who converted to Judaism and became a world-renowned Biblical scholar
 * Ahuva Gray, former Protestant Minister
 * Asher Wade, former Methodist Minister
 * Ole Brunell, former Lutheran Minister. Shlomo Ben Avraham "Ole" Brunell, former Lutheran minister from Finland and Australia. Along with him, his wife Ruth (formerly Runa), two adult daughters, two teenage daughters, and a former son-in-law also converted.[68]

Other Christians who converted to Judaism

 * Abraham ben Abraham, convert from the Potocki family, the famed "Ger Tzedek"
 * Aluizio Abranches, Brazilian filmmaker
 * Moses ben Avraham Avinu
 * Aquila of Sinope, Bible translator
 * Tom Arnold, actor
 * Rafael Cansinos Assens, Spanish poet, essayist, literary critic and translator
 * Abraham of Augsburg
 * Carroll Baker, American actress
 * Elizabeth Banks, American actress (Banks has stated that she studied with rabbis, and practices Judaism, though "I did not have my mikveh, so technically I’m not converted", and added, "Frankly, because I’m already doing everything [practicing religious rituals], I feel like I’m as Jewish as I’m ever going to be".)
 * Anne Beatts, American comedy writer
 * Polly Bergen, American actress and singer
 * Dany Boon, French comedian
 * Elizabeth Brewster, Canadian poet
 * May Britt, actress
 * Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning Australian-American journalist and author
 * Campbell Brown, American television news reporter (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Drew Bundini Brown, assistant trainer of former heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali
 * Sarah Brown, actress
 * Ken Burgess, musician
 * Eddie Butler, Israeli singer
 * Anne Buydens, German-American producer, wife of Kirk Douglas
 * Yisrael Campbell, comedian (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Kate Capshaw, actress (ex-Methodist)
 * Abraham Carmel, ex-Roman Catholic priest
 * Nell Carter, singer and actress
 * Elizabeth Jane Caulfield, linguist and musician
 * Connie Chung, American television journalist
 * Warder Cresson, politician
 * Jim Croce, singer/songwriter
 * William Holmes Crosby, Jr., physician, considered one of the founders of modern hematology
 * Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer [[Image:Sammy Davis 1956.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer who converted during recovery from an automobile accident]]
 * Zooey Deschanel, actress, singer, entrepreneur
 * Natalie Dessay, French soprano
 * William G. Dever, archaeologist
 * Jacqueline du Pré, cellist
 * Patricia Duff, political activist and United States Democratic Party fundraiser
 * Hank Eng, Chinese-American politician
 * Miss Elizabeth, also known as Elizabeth Ann Hulette, was a U.S. professional wrestling manager.
 * Isla Fisher, model and actress (ex-Methodist)
 * Luke Ford, journalist
 * Maureen Forrester, Canadian opera singer
 * Aaron Freeman, journalist and comedian (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Capers Funnye, (ex-Methodist)
 * Natan Gamedze, former Protestant, linguist and a Swazi royal, now a black Haredi rabbi.
 * Scott Glenn, American actor
 * Lord George Gordon, nobleman and politician
 * Reuben Greenberg, police chief of Charleston, South Carolina.
 * Lars Gustafsson, Swedish professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas
 * Daryl Hall, musician
 * Mary Hart (* 1950) American television personality, long-time host of the entertainment program Entertainment Tonight
 * Anthony Heald, American actor
 * Carolivia Herron, writer of children's and adult literature
 * Monica Horan, actress
 * Joel Horlen
 * Carolyn Jones, actress
 * Thomas Jones (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Jon Juaristi, Spanish writer
 * Semei Kakungulu
 * Felicity Kendal, British actress
 * Cameron Kerry, politician, brother of John Kerry (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Jamaica Kincaid, author
 * John King, American television journalist (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Mathilde Krim, Ph.D., founding Chairman of amfAR, a well-known association for AIDS research.
 * Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer-songwriter
 * Anthony Lake, American diplomat, political figure, and academic
 * Dr. Laura, American Radio Personality
 * Nahida Lazarus, German author, essayist, scholar, and literary critic
 * John Lehr, American film and television actor and comedian
 * Julius Lester, son of a Methodist minister and a children's author (ex-Methodist)
 * Joan Lunden, American journalist, author and television host
 * Elliott Maddox, former Major League Baseball player
 * Richard Marceau, Canadian politician
 * Anne Meara (1929-2015), American comedian and actress, partner and wife of Jerry Stiller (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Adah Isaacs Menken, stage actress
 * Marilyn Monroe, actress (ex-Christian)
 * Santa Montefiore, novelist
 * Tommy Mottola, American record producer
 * Françoise Mouly, French artist, designer, and art editor of The New Yorker
 * Jeff Newman (baseball)
 * Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and academic
 * Bob Nystrom, former NHL player
 * Lorna Patterson, American film, stage and television actress
 * Rebecca Pidgeon, Scottish-American actress, singer and songwriter
 * Moses Prado, professor of the classic languages at the University of Marburg
 * Helen Reddy, Australian American singer and actress
 * Roger Rees, actor
 * Abraham Reuel, German, who was a pilot in Hitler army, and who then became a Jew and citizen of Israel
 * Mandy Rice-Davies, British model and showgirl
 * Mary Doria Russell, American author (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Jackie Sandler, American actress
 * Bärbel Schäfer, German television presenter and talk show host
 * Norma Shearer, American actress
 * Joseph J. Sherman, businessman
 * Shyne, Belizean–American rapper
 * Karol Sidon, Czech Orthodox Rabbi, writer and playwright
 * Daniel Silva, American author of thriller and espionage novels
 * Willie "the Lion" Smith, American pianist and composer
 * June Squibb, American actress
 * Dubrovin Stanislav
 * Kim Stanley, American actress
 * Venetia Stanley, socialite
 * Joseph Abraham Steblicki (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Margo Stilley, American film actress
 * Annette Taddeo, businesswoman and politician
 * Elizabeth Taylor, actress (ex-Christian Scientist)
 * Karen Tintori, American author of fiction and nonfiction (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Andre Bernard Tippett, a former American football linebacker for the New England Patriots (ex-Baptist)
 * Jacob Tirado
 * Ivanka Trump
 * Bob Tufts
 * Ike Turner, American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. Son of a Baptist minister
 * Chris Van Allsburg, children's writer
 * Conrad Veidt, German actor
 * Mare Winningham, actress-singer (lapsed Roman Catholic)
 * Jackie Wilson, American soul singer
 * Steve Yeager
 * Katarzyna Weiglowa, Polish martyr
 * Nikki Ziering, model

From Atheism or Agnosticism

 * Christian B. Anfinsen, Nobel prize-winning chemist (Orthodox Judaism)
 * Will Herberg, known as a social philosopher and sociologist of religion, as well as a Jewish theologian, he is also former atheist and Marxist of Jewish ancestry who was raised atheist
 * Suzy Menkes, fashion journalist
 * Hilary Putnam, philosopher raised in a Jewish-atheist home
 * Mary Doria Russell
 * Anna Silk, Canadian actress
 * Mare Winningham

From Black Hebrew Israelitism

 * Eddie Butler, Israeli singer converted to Orthodox Judaism
 * Capers Funnye

From Islam

 * Reza Jabari, Iranian
 * Avraham Sinai, Lebanese member of Hezbollah who had an Orthodox conversion and lives as a Haredi Jew in Tsfat

From Druzism

 * Michael Netzer, American comic book artist

From other Middle Eastern religions

 * Sh'maya, Sage and President of the Sanhedrin, apparently from a Mideastern religion
 * Avtalyon, Sage and Vice-President of the Sanhedrin, apparently from a Mideastern religion

From Greco-Roman religion

 * Aquila of Sinope (Acylas), from traditional Greek religion
 * Onkelos, Hebrew scholar and translator, from ancient Roman religion
 * Flavia Domitilla, from traditional ancient Roman religion (possibly to Jewish Christianity, as she is also a Christian saint)
 * Titus Flavius Clemens (consul), great-nephew of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, from traditional Roman religion (possibly to Jewish Christianity, as he is also a Christian saint)
 * Fulvia (wife of Saturninus), wife of Emperor Tiberius' close friend, Saturninus, from traditional Roman religion.
 * Paulina Beturia, from traditional Roman religion

From Samaritanism

 * Sofi Tzadka

From Shinto

 * Setzuso Kotsuji, son of a Shinto priest, and a professor in Japan (converted from Shinto to Christianity and then from Christianity to Judaism)

List of conversions named in the Bible

 * Bithiah, from traditional Egyptian religion
 * Jethro, priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, from a Mideastern religion
 * Makeda, queen of Sheba, from a Mideastern or Ethiopian religion
 * Ruth, great-grandmother of King David, from a Near Eastern religion.
 * Osenath, from the Ancient Egyptian religion (her name relates to Anat)
 * Zipporah, from a Mideastern or northern African religion
 * Yael, from Canaanite or another Near Eastern religion

Undetermined former religion

 * Joseph Bánóczi
 * Salem Shaloam David
 * József Eisenhoffer
 * Jamaica Kincaid
 * Dara Torres
 * Desmond Wilcox
 * Andre Williams
 * Nachman Fahrner

Converts who later left the faith or were expelled

 * Polemon II, king of Cilicia converted to marry the Jewish princess Berenice; later relapsed.
 * Cristian Castro, Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer. (reverted to Roman Catholicism after divorcing his Jewish wife)
 * Uriel da Costa, philosopher shunned for heresy.