Posted on 01/19/2018 10:15:00 AM PST by Gamecock
Full Title: I’m a Transgender Peace Activist Who Converted to Judaism. I Wasn’t Expecting My Fellow Progressives to Turn on Me.
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Here’s what they don’t tell you when converting to Judaism: Everyone has an opinion on Israel. And once you convert, everyone has an opinion regarding your opinions on Israel.
To say I chose a rather interesting time to convert to Judaism is an understatement. Considering the current political climate, I’ll admit that I braced myself for certain negative reactions to my being Jewish. Being queer, transgender, and Hispanic, I’ve had my share of slurs thrown at me.
My social group and volunteer work are where I find a safe place from the nonsense outside. If things got bad after my conversion, I had this community to turn to. Imagine my surprise, then, to find accusations and anger not from the usual suspects, but from my own progressive communities. To give a few choice examples:
1) My Catholic parents bought me a Star of David necklace to celebrate my conversion. I showed this to someone I had attended numerous LGBT events with. Their response was to call it “pro-apartheid jewelry” and said I was wearing “that star on the Jewish flag.”
2) For about a year, I catalogued footage of humanitarian disasters during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for use by a humanitarian organization. I’m proud of that work. I mentioned my conversion to a few friends who knew me at the time. All immediately asked if I had changed my views on Israeli politics.
3) Whenever I mention my conversion to anyone in my larger social circle, the response is never congratulations. Four out of five times, I’m immediately grilled on my views regarding Israeli policy.
When I chose to convert, my rabbi made it very clear that conversion was just a ritual. “You’re already Jewish,” he told me. “This is confirmation of what already exists.” In some ways, that’s true. I was the same person when I entered the bet din as I was when I exited the mikveh. What has changed, though, is how others see me regardless of who or what I am.
Talking about my experiences today on social media, I was surprised by how many private messages I received from other Jewish folk (converts or not) who have experienced the same. So many of us have similar experiences. Honestly, I don’t know how to respond to that. I had hoped that my experiences were unique only because I wouldn’t wish negativity on anyone. Now I’ve discovered that, in many ways, anti-Semitism exists across the political spectrum. All that changes is how bigotry manifests. But what can you say to those who have already deemed you an aggressor?
Jews are not a monolithic group. We all know the old joke about how, between two Jews, one finds three opinions. I just wish more activist circles and progressive folks could see the range of viewpoints to be found in our community. There are many Jews, like me, who call out Israel’s crimes but still believe the state should continue to exist. There are Jews who unfailingly support all Israel does. There are even Jews who oppose the existence of Israel entirely. We are, if nothing else, an opinionated people. To paint us all with the same brush is as much an act of anti-Semitism as throwing slurs at us. I’m simply at a loss as to how to communicate this nuance to my own community.
It is always more painful to receive negativity from loved ones than from strangers. If these are the responses I should come to expect from more progressive communities, I’m starting to wonder if that harm is worth continuing to remain here.
Oy vey. What a mess that is.
I am sure he well find a nice Jewish boy marry and raise a large Jewish family.
/S/
It should have chosen the Palestinian Option for acceptance......
Tattoos are not a Jewish thing, but then dressing in the other sex’s clothing is not kosher either.
His fellow liberals turned on him?? Oh my gosh. Liberals are oh so tolerant of all peoples and all opinions.
Do you mean to say that he found liberals to be intolerant of him? He’s one of them. Heck the transsexual folks are special and have a place of honor in the liberal universe.
Good wake up call for him. He may find that us evil conservatives are actually much more tolerant of him .
I am sure he well find a nice Jewish boy marry and raise a large Jewish family...thru adoption.
He did NOT “convert to Judaism.” Reform/Re-constructionist Judaism is NOT a legal conversion.
I believe your motivation for converting to Judaism was to get even more attention than you are enjoying now: you’re transgender,queer, and Hispanic ( all minorities ), plus you’re also progressive and liberal; you think the universe revolves around you. Well, enjoy yourself in your “safe space”. Jerk!
how messed up could a person get?
I wish him/her/it well...
enough already.
Dude, you’re just a fruitcake, no matter what religion or ideology you profess. I’d tell you to get lost, but it’s obvious you already are.
bkmk
The ravings of a very troubled soul.
Get over yourself. No one gives a soggy matza ball about your dickchopping or your conversion.
This loon is beyond having a screw loose.
He’s a bucket of mismatched nuts and bolts.
Is it left handed?
He wants his parents to go along with his delusions and he thinks they are in the wrong. The mental illness is strong in this one.
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