My conversion story
On Monday I attended a prayer vigil for Israel.
At one point the rabbi told us to turn to one another and offer a word of comfort.
We all turned to one another.
But there were no words.
As I’ve struggled to process the incomprehensible horror and acts of violence and hatred I -maybe like you- have felt fear, sadness, anger, shock, anxiety and powerlessness.
What could I do?
Five months ago, almost to the day, I became Jewish.
Since that time I’ve been waiting for what felt like the right moment to share my conversion story publicly, and that moment feels like now.
My story has been 10 years in the making.
As I learned more about the Jewish faith and delved deeper into making it a part of my life over the years, there were two aspects I loved that have changed my life and shaped the person that I am now.
First is the focus on family and community. I’ve always been a bit of a chameleon. I can fit in almost anywhere, but have often experienced not fully feeling I belonged.
I’ve been a part of various Jewish communities, of different sects of Judaism, throughout my journey and have felt a sense of warmth and inclusion in every single one. Not just towards myself, but among all the people there.
Feeling welcomed and like your presence is valued is one of the greatest gifts you can give to someone and I now practice always trying to welcome strangers, be a point of connection and give my full attention to those around me because every human deserves to feel a sense of belonging.
Our beginnings living in hunter/gatherer tribes means this need for belonging is hardwired into our brains as well as our desire to protect our tribe.
Our tribes used to be small so this wiring so make it feel easy to distance ourselves from those we feel aren’t a part of ours or that we have no connection to.
But we now live in a global society where our tribe is expanding to include all humans and quantum physics has proven that we are all connected so we feel each other’s joy and suffering, even if we have no known connection.
One of the other tenants of Judaism that I love is the idea of Tikkun Olam- repairing the world.
Some of the days when I have felt the happiest over the past few years are those when I was using my gifts, talents, resources, time or energy to help others. Packing warm clothing for the homeless in winter, outfitting underprivileged girls with prom dresses, serving Thanksgiving dinner to the elderly.
As we consider what to do in this moment... how to help... how to even begin to repair the world... I share these words from my friend Sarah Rotenstreich, who expressed these thoughts more eloquently than I’ve been able to figure out how yet…
“Together let’s aim to share images of hope, images of the incredible acts of kindness, selflessness and heroism we are witnessing in Israel and from around the world… Let’s aim not to try to make sense out of a senseless act. Yes, we have lots of questions. We are filled with tremendous pain. Many tears. But let’s fight this war with strong minds and unwavering faith. Let us be cautious by the images we choose to view and share, not because we want to hide from this horror (how we wish we could) but because we don’t want to let the terrorist further wound and demoralize us in this strategic way. Let us choose instead to spend more time with our loved ones, to reach out in kindness, to volunteer, to send support. Let us continue to increase our good deeds…”
Having a sense of purpose and helping others is the best anti-dote to fear, anxiety and powerlessness that I know of.
Help and act in any way you can, for yourself and to show your support:
Pray, send thoughts of love, healing and hope (in any language, religion or belief system)
Do a good deed (mitzvah)
Act with kindness
Give to charity
Commit to goodness
Choose love
If you feel called to give to charity, here are some places to start:
UJA Israel Emergency Fund: Emergency cash assistance for victims of terror. Critically needed trauma counseling. Care for children in shelters. Burial expenses. Funds to relocate people to safer areas.
MDA (Magen David Aron): Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service.
United Hatzalah: community-based volunteer emergency medical services (EMS) organization committed to providing the fastest response to medical emergencies across Israel even prior the arrival of ambulances and completely free of charge.
Click here for some Anti-Anxiety and Relaxation techniques to help you get through this time
And if you’d like to watch a 5-minute clip from my conversion service, click here and start at 23:05 (teaser… you get to learn the meaning behind the Hebrew name I chose for myself).
Whatever you do this week, choose love.
