Posted on 09/21/2006 4:15:01 PM PDT by Nachum
NEW YORK - Christine Benvenuto embodies a Jewish ideal.
Her kitchen is kosher, she attends synagogue and has read rabbinic writings and Torah.
But for many American Jewish leaders, she has an even more compelling quality. The mother of three, whose husband was born Jewish, is a convert.
“A lot of things attracted me to Judaism,” said Benvenuto, whose book “Shiksa” chronicles her path to conversion and the choices of other non-Jewish spouses. “I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in New York and my friends were always Jewish.”
As intermarriage continues at a high rate, many community leaders believe the survival of Judaism lies with people like Benvenuto. Over the last year, top rabbis have urged Jews to overcome their fear of offending non-Jewish spouses and suggest outright that they convert.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, and Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism, each called for a more assertive approach at national religious meetings of their movements in the last year. Together, their organizations represent about 75 percent of North American synagogue members.
The American Jewish Committee, a leading advocacy group based in New York, released the first major study in nearly two decades of why people decide to become Jewish. Among the central findings is that advocating for conversion works.
Even some Orthodox, who have traditionally discouraged conversion, have joined in.
Rabbi Leib Tropper, who runs a school in Monsey, N.Y., for Jews who lack basic religious education, started Eternal Jewish Family a year ago to train rabbinic courts on proper conversion for non-Jewish spouses. Tropper says hundreds of rabbis have attended the training sessions.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bostonherald.com ...
rubber stamp reform and conservative conversions aren't going to help the matter. and the line about orthodox Rabbis being hesitant to convert a non-Jewish spouse (not a girlfriend or boyfriend) is silly. i seriously doubt the legitimacy of this statement.
The fact that they have this debate suggests they don't believe their own religion. How could you wilfully sit by an watch your spouse go to hell?
This is true, but consider this: such marriages will sometimes trigger a soul-searching at some point and lead one or both of the people to faith. Seen it happen.
And conversely, a husband and wife can nominally worship the same way and still wind up in a marriage from hell. (I've REALLY seen that.)
I agree with both of your points.
Because it was more important to be able to have sex with them or be supported by them.
In one word: Selfishness.
I imagine 'Christine' is not a popular baby name among Jews...
That's the problem with major religions. They each preach that all the others will go to hell.
It's not a big leap to the position that you might as well kill those unbelievers right now.
It even happens within the major religions. Shi'ite vs Sunni, Catholic vs Protestant.
ping
Jews do not teach or beleive that non-Jews will go to 'hell'.
Hopefully, there will be a remnant left to be saved. The Jewish race is doomed to extinction if they don't act to stem the tide of abortion, secularization, and other non"breeder" efforts of mainstream jewish life.
***...and the line about orthodox Rabbis being hesitant to convert a non-Jewish spouse (not a girlfriend or boyfriend) is silly. i seriously doubt the legitimacy of this statement.***
I don't doubt that statement. I suspect, though I don't know for sure, that orthodox rabbis understand that a conversion only to please a spouse is not a true conversion, and that it can only lead to suppressed anger against the convert's spouse later. Again, I'm only guessing from what I know of other religions.
Interesting. So what's the point of being a Jew, then?
My wife's neice married a jew. The problem is not that she was raised Catholic, the problem is her mother in law.
Self-Hating Jews in so-called "Orthodox" groups are straying from the Torah.
Jews do not convert non-Jews for the sake of marriage. Haven't in the past, won't in the future.
Funny that you mention that, but as a child I knew a couple of Jewish girls who were named Natalie (which means Christmas). Somebody compromised, I guess.
I've heard it's difficult to convert in any case, and that's by design, as they want to make sure the person is serious enough about it to jump through a few hoops.
Judaism does not teach that non-Jews necessarily go to hell.
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