- NEWS & COMMENTARY
Kerry says Israelis, Palestinians must make tough decisions
Israeli and Palestinian leaders must decide soon on whether to revive long-dormant peace negotiations to end their decades-old conflict, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.
Industry is best bet for peace, Israeli billionaire says
On a new industrial park in Israel's largest Arab town, a software plant belonging to a multibillion-dollar U.S.-listed firm sits cheek-by-jowl with two small Arab-owned businesses: a metal factory and one producing tools for brain surgery.
Adelsons donate $40 million to Birthright
Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, donated $40 million to the Birthright Israel Foundation.
- HOLLYWOOD
Billy Crystal to star in Larry Charles’ FX series
Looks like FX is going to be injecting some humor into their lineup. Not a bad idea, we think, after many seasons of the awesome yet dark series “Justified” or…
Civility replaces violence in ‘Last White Night’
In June 1965, during the most violent days of the civil rights movement, 21-year-old Paul Saltzman drove from Toronto to Mississippi to become a freedom fighter with the Student Nonviolent…
Spielberg to produce ‘Halo’ television series, plus other news from the Xbox One announcement
Microsoft Corp gave the world a first look at its new Xbox One on Tuesday, announcing that its first gaming console in eight years will come with exclusive video and…
- LIFE & CULTURE
A talent agent turns yogurt maven
Amy Salko Robertson — producer of such films as “The Oh in Ohio,” “Lab Rats” and “When Do We Eat?” a comedy set at a Passover seder —realized that she…
Maccabi Tel Aviv back on top but coach future uncertain
Champions Maccabi Tel Aviv have reasserted their dominance of Israeli soccer but media reports on Tuesday suggested they might have to continue their revival without coach Oscar Garcia.
Angelina’s breast cancer victory isn’t for celebrities only
Actress Angelina Jolie just announced that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning that she was genetically predisposed to cancer. Her disclosure was a powerful show of solidarity with…
- BLOGS
Propaganda lies in a disguise
Muhammad al-Durrah, the little boy who became the symbol of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, is returning to the headlines after a decade. A photo of him, crying, leaning against a wall…
Male Eating Disorders: A Real Thing
Recently, People Magazine came out with an article about Ashley Hamilton talking openly about his struggles with an eating disorder. I applaud Ashley for coming out about having an eating…
Religion at the End of The Big C
Last night, Showtime’s The Big C aired its final episode. After three seasons of half-hour installments, this comedy returned for a shortened final season consisting of four hour-long episodes. Subtitled…
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Israel’s mikvahs open to non-Orthodox conversions, official clarifies
Clarifying existing policy, the office of Israel’s deputy religious services minister said Israel’s state-sponsored mikvahs are open for use for Conservative and Reform conversions.
Conversion 101
Conversion to Judaism is not easy. It requires a change in beliefs, actions and lifestyle. It involves extensive study, practice, a leap of faith, a shift in perception and some sacrifice.
Becoming Jewish: Tales from the Mikveh
Late on a recent Wednesday afternoon, Judith Golden and Suzanne Rosenthal perched at their desks in a small room in the depths of American Jewish University (AJU).
Conversion: An Irish Catholic comes ‘home’ to Judaism
Growing up Catholic in Ireland can be intense, and it may be one reason why Philomena Wallace decided to become a Jew.
Converting: The best decision of her life
When Donna Levine told her mother she had converted, the response was that she would burn in hell. A friend encouraged Levine to join Jews for Jesus. She had to explain to this friend that, unfortunately, that wouldn’t work.
Israeli group files lawsuit asking Interior Ministry to recognize converts
An Israeli advocacy group filed a lawsuit seeking the recognition of all Orthodox conversions performed in Israel.
Double-dip conversion
When Jennifer Harrison-Gomez decided to convert to Judaism, her husband, Brian Gomez, followed suit. At 8 years old, Jennifer saw a film about Judaism that sparked her interest. In middle school, she read “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which further intrigued her. As an adult, she worked for a Jewish mortuary, where she admired the Jewish traditions of handling death. Jennifer began talking about Judaism with the shomer (guardian of the deceased) at her job, and, after learning more, she started her conversion process.
An example to her children
Fourteen years ago, Catherine and Bruce Penso’s oldest daughter, Leah, was ready to become a bat mitzvah. But before her big day, Leah told her parents that she wanted to go to the mikveh and formally convert.
Letters to the Editor: Prager on murder, Spiritual care, Christmas Mitzvah, Seeking former students
It is quite something to read Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion dean Joshua Holo’s caricature Dennis Prager as reckless, heedless, gratuitously hostile and a provocateur “painting in broad strokes of facile caricature” (Letters, Dec. 21), when that is precisely what he, not Prager, does.
Challenges and celebrations
When Andromeda Stevens, 46, found herself falling in love with Judaism, she knew it was time to convert. She and her husband, Glenn Stevens, who live in Beverlywood, started living a Jewish life together years before they were married, and Andromeda converted after the wedding. “I liked the traditions, and the meaning behind the traditions,” she said. “The symbols were very logical to me and very supportive of humanity and living a justified and good life. I found that really appealing. It was very contrary to my Catholic education.”
Finding Judaism through music
For Chris Hardin, converting to Judaism was a family affair. In November 1994, Hardin, then 38, stepped into the mikveh. That day, his daughter and wife did the same.
Conversion: Michael Pershes
Throughout his conversion process, Michael Pershes claims he was an “obsessive superstar Jew.” The 42-year-old real estate developer and fashion designer studied Torah and the laws of kashrut, learned modern Hebrew at the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute, volunteered for the first time at Jewish Family Service, wrote monthly essays, celebrated Shabbat every week and joined his synagogue’s choir in the two-and-a-half years it took him to convert.
Stories of Jewish Conversion: Frank Siciliano
Hearing the name Frank Siciliano, you would probably not immediately think “Orthodox Jew.” But this Jew by Choice, who has lived in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood for the past three years, is as passionate about his religion and his people as one can get.
Ben-Aharon
My childhood best friend was Billy Thein. We met at Encino Elementary School in Mrs. Bernstein’s third-grade class, and were pretty much inseparable after that. Billy was funny and smart and cool — and in a public school packed with the striving, anxious, gawkward spawn of suburban Jewry, cool stood out.
Jan Perry’s quest: Spirituality, pursuit of L.A.‘s well-being
I asked City Council member Jan Perry, a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, if she was on a spiritual quest when she converted to Judaism. “Right,” she replied. “Your question is a good way to put it.”
Orthodox conversions in Israel down dramatically, study shows
Orthodox conversions in Israel are down by 31 percent over the past two years, according to a new report.
Israeli high court affirms conversions questioned by rabbinical courts
Israel's high court reversed two annulled conversions to Judaism and affirmed thousands of others.
“America needs a Jewish values voice’’
Shahs Of Sunset – Poppa Can You Hear Me?
What Does Conversion Really Mean?
Jessica Fishman’s Sad Story and the Threat to Israel’s Civil Society
Amigos in San Miguel de Allende: A Shavuot Story of Conversion
Earlier this year, I got a call from an old friend, Rabbi Juan Mejia. Juan asked me if I’d be willing to accompany him and Rabbi Felipe Goodman to San Miguel de Allende for a couple of days in early February. Juan, Felipe and I have a lot in common: We laugh at the same jokes, we all speak Spanish, and we’re all rabbis. A little getaway to Mexico in the middle of winter? Sure, I could fit that into my schedule — no problem, I said.
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate agrees to recognize all Orthodox conversions
Israel's Chief Rabbinate has agreed to recognize all Jewish conversions undertaken in the country, JTA has learned. ITIM, the Jewish Life Information Center, and the Chief Rabbinate have reached an agreement under which the rabbinate will recognize all conversions conferred under the auspices of Israeli conversion programs, including the military. The agreement was made available to JTA.
Conversion bill still troubles U.S. Jewish leaders
American Jewish leaders said they remain concerned about Israeli conversion legislation following a meeting with high-level Israeli government officials.
Conversion: How to get started
The first step is to join an Introduction to Judaism program or find a rabbi who will study with you. Programs usually consist of about 18 sessions and delve into a number of topics, including but not limited to Jewish history, rituals, Israel and core Jewish values.
Obama's cousin-in-law Rabbi Capers Funnye battles to open the gates of Judaism [VIDEO]
Funnye, 56, has dedicated his life to chiseling away at the conventional, but increasingly inaccurate, conception of who is a Jew.
Angeleno pushes effort on recognizing conversions
When Lorin Fife converted to Judaism some 30 years ago, his experience with the Orthodox rabbis who presided over his year of study and conversion ceremony was one of warmth and acceptance.
Jewish Agency wants changes in Israel conversion policy
It calls on the government to establish Jewish religious courts that "will base themselves on appropriate moderate and tolerant prior halachic decisions to allow the conversion process to move forward.
‘The Longing’ documents crypto-Jews caught between two worlds
When Gabriela Böhm set out to create her documentary, "The Longing: The Forgotten Jews of South America," several years ago, she hoped to profile an as-yet-undiscovered secret community of Crypto Jews -- descendants of Jews forced to flee the Spanish Inquisition who continued practicing rituals covertly.
That born-again ‘Basic Instinct’ for Joe Eszterhaus
Strange Love
It was clear where the conversation was headed when Luke, speaking over melodic chants that included words like "Lord" and "heaven," asked if I had any "spiritual leanings."
Former Muslim to lead Baptist college
Lindsay Lohan converting to Judaism?
The interview: Hamas scion explains conversion to Christianity, respect for Israel
Hamas scion converts to Christianity, respects Israel
Suddenly, I’m an expert on black Jews*
Masorti join fight for religious pluralism in Israel
For decades, a charge against the rabbis who perform marriages on behalf of Israel's Chief Rabbinate has gone unanswered: That the rabbi did nothing to add to the joy, meaning and beauty of a wedding celebration. On June 15, the Masorti/Conservative movement launched a media blitz that confronted the Rabbinate on this issue head on.
Conversions up, African-American Jews on the move
Does military service make an Israeli a Jew?
Identity and connection spur more adult b’nai mitzvah
The reasons why milifers and seniors have gravitated to adult b'nai mitzvah programs since the trend first took off in the 1970s are numerous, including the fact that most women didn't have such ceremonies until the 1980s (the first bat mitzvah was held in 1922). One perennial influence is a child or grandchild reaching b'nai mitzvah age, and the divergent issues brought about by intermarriage can sometimes compel one or more adults in a family to take on b'nai mitzvah study to serve as a role model.
Chai Center rabbi explains ‘off the handle’ e-mails
‘Non-Jewish’ Jews endure challenges living in Israel
In Israel, the "non-Jewish Jews," as some Israelis call them, are everywhere. They drive buses, teach university classes, patrol in army jeeps and follow the latest Israeli reality TV shows as avidly as their Jewish counterparts. For these people -- mostly immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are not Jews according to Israeli law -- the question of where they fit into the Jewish state remains unanswered nearly two decades after they began coming to Israel.
City Voice: Condo conversions cause casualties
In Jewish communities in Los Angeles, tenants are uneasily contemplating a fate increasingly familiar to renters - the conversion of their building to condominiums.
Some boo the Hindu that you do so well—others, not so much
In last week's column I proposed addressing the pain of Jewish women approaching the end of their childbearing years who cannot find a Jewish mate. One solution, I wrote, would be to encourage them to date non-Jews, and for our rabbis and community leaders to create pathways for inclusion and conversion for the non-Jewish partners. The idea sparked dozens of responses pro and con, and in fairness to the idea's detractors (and supporters) we reprint a sample on these pages, with a brief coda by me.
And other letters to the Editor.
Our Hindu Widows
I know too many beautiful, brilliant single Jewish women in their 30s and 40s.
Evangelical Skeptic
If there's one subject that can spark a juicy debate among lovers of Israel, it is what to do with these millions of Jesus-loving evangelical Christians who love Israel to death.
Evangelical prayer banquet promotes love for Israel
Talking last Thursday about God's chosen people, comparing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hitler and lamenting the indifference others express about Israel, these 300-plus Christians each spent at least $125 to pray for peace in the Holy Land and commiserate with Jews about the seemingly never-ending threats to Israel's existence.
Taste-testing Judaism
In the past decade, as Jewish leaders grapple with how assimilation and intermarriage have affected the numbers of Jews, many Jewish organizations, temples and synagogues are increasing efforts to reach out to teach Judaism -- both to secular and unaffiliated Jews, as well as to interfaith families.
Conversion for those raised Jewish? Rabbis address unique obstacles for patrilineal converts
"I was raised Jewish, was always told I was Jewish," said the 35-year-old, who did not want his real name printed. "I went to Jewish camps, even had a bar mitzvah." But when Levine joined a Conservative congregation after his marriage, the rabbi told him that because his mother was not Jewish, he needed a legal conversion.
An inadvertent gift
Maya Nahor learned she wasn't Jewish from an Israeli bureaucrat.
Acts of Faith
Religion briefs.
Don’t write off the intermarried
Charles Dickens' classic, "A Tale of Two Cities," begins with the famous line: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Sociologist Steven Cohen's new study on intermarriage has a similar title but a different spirit.
Is circumcision a requirement for conversion?
"I don't understand the fuss people make," he said. "In Africa now they're circumcising thousands of adult men for AIDS prevention. If it were such a big deal, don't you think word would get around and the men would stop doing it?"
Jewish parent + Christian parent = Jewish kids
Many interfaith couples are raising their children to be Jews, even without conversion of the non-Jewish parent.
Saying ‘shalom’ to Santa Claus
Occasionally, as I light a candle on the menorah on a dark December night, I think about my former Christmas dishes and the woman who bought them. I imagine that she lovingly sets them on her table, as she prepares her Christmas dinner, and I smile.
Orthodox Union Searches for New Director; Happy Birthday Kirk Douglas!
Community News Briefs
Finding their way home to Judaism: three same-sex couples share their conversion stories
Spiritual decision-making is also frequently a factor in the calculus of gay life. In fact, finding a religious tradition that affirms gay experience and offers the support of a vibrant community can be one of the most important aspects of self-realization for gay men and lesbians -- especially for people who see being in a committed relationship as a natural extension of their spiritual lives.
Converts’ Hardships Expose Truth
"I have been told not to touch the Torah and to go back to my own religion" she relayed to me matter-of-factly.
"Wasn't there anyone you could confide in?" I asked.
"I could confide in some more than others, but when it came down to it, no one really cared whether I converted or not."
Psalm-Thing to Sing About in New Album
Haruach sings with a modesty and softness that enhances the simple and good-natured spiritual messages of her songs. That, in itself, is an unusual trait, because audiences have come to expect artists who make spiritual/new age, religious music to have overproduced studio performances.
Evangelicals Slate Pro-Israel Lobbying
CUFI's purpose, according to its official brochure, is "to provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to biblical issues."
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