Question: What happens to a convert's status when Jewish practices are not performed?
Does a convert's status as a Jew become invalid if Jewish practices are not performed?
Answer: First of all, as a convert, you should speak with your Rabbi. That Rabbi is the final authority for you until and when and if you choose to change, whether by affiliating with a synagogue or a movement. Please understand that there are different standards between movements which should have been part of your education.
Secondly, no more is expected of a Jew by choice than a Jew by birth in terms of a Jewish life. A Jew by choice is expected to assume that status from the perspective of the Conservative Movement through (1) a thorough Jewish education; (2) meeting with a Bet Din; (3) Brit Milah or Hatafat Dam for a male; (4) immersion in a mikveh. Every Rabbi has their own pattern for conclusion and celebrating the welcome of a Jew by choice into the Jewish community, whether a public ceremony, an aliyah to the Torah, a ceremony back in the synagogue privately with family and friends, etc.
To the best of my knowledge, there is no way anyone can declare the conversion of a Jew "invalid" unless, hypothetically, the person in question decided to resume a Christian way of life would have invalidated their conversion; it would not have been invalidated by the Jewish community.
By the way, my own experience has been after more than 40 years teaching Jews by choice, that they affiliate, participate, continue their Jewish education, and become more active in the synagogue and Jewish community than "many" others who are Jews by birth. These are welcome and wonderful human beings and we as a religious faith and People are blessed when you join us.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Dov
