When Does a Convert Celebrate His Birthday?

The Aish Rabbi Replies

Even after conversion, a convert's actual birthday is the Hebrew date of his physical birth. In fact, a person’s mazal – matters controlled by his astrological fate – depends on the actual date and time of his birth, whether he is Jewish or not.

At the same time, it is appropriate for a convert to mark the day of his conversion as well – just as people make yearly commemorations of any day on which they experience a miraculous salvation. The Sages teach us that a convert is “as a newborn child” (Yevamot 22a). Thus, in a sense, a convert has a new, more spiritual, birthdate – and a further occasion to reflect and celebrate.