A Modern Conversion Story

Published on April 28, 2010

I was not raised in a religion; my parents gave me the gift of choice when it came to spirituality. I’ve always known on a deep level that God exists, but the context for understanding my Creator was unclear. For many years I felt adrift, doing my best to find peace in the midst of chaos. Then I took a college writing course called “The Holocaust,” in which I was asked to examine this most heinous event in human history. Signing up for this class proved to be a life-altering choice. I was consumed by memoirs like “Night,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and “All but My Life.” I yearned to know the Jewish people better — to understand their faith, optimism and hope, even in the darkest of times. I left the class full of curiosity, my heart open and ready to learn more. It was the beginning of my spiritual awakening.

Uma Thurman, Shiksa Goddess

By Amy Klein
Published on October 27, 2005

Sandra Bullock was all set to take the role of Rafi Gardet in the movie "Prime," playing the 37-year-old woman who falls in love with a 23-year-old Jewish artist. But two weeks before shooting, Bullock pulled out.

The Gold and the Beautful

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on April 21, 2005

In the promising pilot -- which one critic called "'Frasier' with boobs" -- Elon Gold proved a hilarious comic foil for the vacuous yet surprisingly insightful Pamela Anderson.