Can I convert to Judaism without learning Hebrew?

Is it necessary to be conversant in the Hebrew tongue in order to be accepted into the Jewish community via conversion? That is, can I convert without learning Hebrew?

The short answer is, "Yes, you can convert."

Some of the Introduction to Judaism courses, offered around the country and which many if not most prospective converts take enables students to "decode" Hebrew, that is, read the sounds so that at least they can follow along. Of course it is our hope that converts as well as born Jews will learn more Hebrew than that, so that at he very least they can know what the basic prayers mean. But that takes time. Spoken Hebrew is something which very few Jews are capable of, unless they have studied it in college or in Israel itself.

Now, if you ask the question because you are aware of having a language disability of some kind, I would talk to the rabbi sponsoring your conversion. I am sure that he/she would work something out. But if that isn't the case, jump right in to the excitement of learning this wonderful ancient/modern language. The fact is, Judaism is more exciting the more you understand the mother tongue, because much of our Torah interpretation is based on linguistics. But don't despair if you're not a scholar from the get-go!