ABOUT
Amech Ami
וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל-תִּפְגְּעִי-בִי, לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִךְ: כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ, וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין--עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי, וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי
"Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."
RUTH 1:16
Our Mission
Amech Ami is a Jewish organization that teaches and guides candidates for Jewish Orthodox conversion through the entire conversion process, from beginning to end. It provides a clear and accessible pathway for individuals seeking a full halachic conversion — from learning the very basics of the Aleph Bet and the fundamentals of Torah law and Jewish thought, through support in beginning your own personal practice, and ending with dipping in a mikveh in front of a recognized Orthodox Beit Din.
Through weekly group cohort learning sessions, quarterly individual check-ins, facilitated community integration via a local sponsoring rabbi and congregation, and liaising with a recognized Beit Din, Amech Ami is there for you on every step of this incredible, challenging, and inspiring journey — providing deep halachic knowledge alongside personal compassion and institutional understanding of complex communal dynamics.
Our Role
Amech Ami is not a Beit Din or a sponsoring rabbi; rather, it is focused on informing, supporting, and facilitating one's journey to becoming a halachic Jew. We do not perform actual conversions, nor does our rabbinical staff sit on a Beit Din. Our goal is to welcome, with warmth, love and open-mindedness, any serious candidate for Jewish conversion, and to provide an actionable pathway for those who are ready to commit to Orthodox Judaism.
God willing, at the end of your learning journey, Amech Ami will be able to deliver you, fully prepared, to a trusted Beit Din for your formal immersion. We maintain a strong network of accepted and respected Orthodox rabbis, dayanim, and batei din across the country, and we continue to build relationships depending on each student's needs and geography.
What Makes Amech Ami Different
There are lots of conversion teaching courses out there. Why should you choose Amech Ami?
The Personal Touch. Rabbi Phil Kaplan isn’t just a knowledgeable teacher — he’s a mentor and guide who is genuinely, personally invested in your conversion journey, and is there for you every step of the way. With professional training in rabbinic and pastoral care, years of experience working with congregants, students, and conversion candidates, a deep belief in the importance of conversion to the health and future of the Jewish people, and loving compassion for those seeking to join the Jewish community, he is there for each and every Amech Ami candidate.
A Lifetime of Mentorship. Amech Ami doesn’t end when the course does. Even after formal learning is complete, Rabbi Kaplan will continue to support you as you work towards conversion with ongoing communication and liaising with your sponsoring rabbi and Beit Din until you step into the mikveh — and beyond. He’ll always be available for consultation and support if you hit a roadblock, for celebrating your milestones, and for any halachic questions that come up.
Affordability. Years of studying for conversion can be extremely expensive, often costing upwards of $5,000-$8,000 for multiple courses. Some teachers offer a monthly course subscription that disincentivizes completing a conversion. Our model is a one-time, affordable fee aimed at giving you all the knowledge you need to move forward with your conversion. Amech Ami offers a high-quality, accessible route for those who know they belong with the Jewish people, but are unable to pay thousands of dollars for private tutoring or expensive courses. We believe no one should be priced out of conversion.
The Cohort. Conversion can be lonely. Through the Amech Ami cohort, you’ll have unique access to a community of like-minded people who are on the journey with you, feeling the same irresistible pull to traditional Judaism, overcoming similar challenges, and going through parallel experiences of taking on new observance and joining a new community.
Rabbi Phil Kaplan
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Amech Ami was created by Rabbi Phil Kaplan, an Orthodox rabbi based in Long Island, New York. Rabbi Kaplan brings both professional rabbinic expertise and deep personal empathy to the work of helping students through the process of conversion.
Rabbi Kaplan has served communities as a pulpit rabbi in Sydney, Australia at The Great Synagogue and New Orleans, Louisiana at Congregation Beth Israel, and currently serves as Rabbi of Stony Brook Hebrew Congregation and Campus Rabbi at Stony Brook University Hillel.
Through years of experience working closely with conversion candidates and different Batei Din, Rabbi Kaplan saw a major need to help people not only learn about Judaism, but actively and compassionately guide them along the extremely complex and challenging path to completing Orthodox conversion.