As a Jewish woman who does not adhere to the religious beliefs that traditionally have defined "Jews" I wonder about how others who were not Jewish and have joined the religion embrace the term "Jewish". Do such individuals encounter the same (or similar) difficulties with the term not being of Jewish descent but having chosen to adopt the faith?
This need not be answered within the frame of Judaism, I just tend toward that reference point to frame questions... Would, for example, a practicioner of Hinduism feel excluded from the native Hindu population (meaning those born in regions where Hinduism is the dominate religious presence)?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
It was special for me to read this comment, since I just spent the afternoon discussing with a friend my wish to convert to Judaism, even though I am Catholic and adhere to that faith (in my own personal way). I am now married to a Jew, and I have been involved with Jewish communities for the whole time of my relationship with him, but also before that.
In wanting to convert, I don't intend to relinquish my other beliefs. In talking with my friend, I realized that it is not that I want to convert without changing anything, but rather that I have already changed, through all these years of mingling in Jewish circles, celebrating Jewish holidays and traditions, reading Jewish religious scholars and discussing. I feel that I am Jewish inside, of course not by birth but by my adoption of the Jewish ways and by my love for the Jewish culture. In converting, what I am looking for is the recognition of this fact by a community.
That is an incredible response. One of my cousins (from the not-Jewish side) converted to Judaism and I have had a hard time accepting her decision for a number of reasons (one being that she has changed religions... uh, religiously). But I can certainly appreciate the way an individual might come into belonging. Thank you for your response.
Post a Comment