This segment from the PBS series “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly,” posted on YouTube, profiles six converts to Judaism — five women and one man — who converted through all three of the main streams of the religion. The sole male convert in the segment, Orthodox Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz (pictured above), first underwent a Reform conversion and later an Orthodox one; one of the female converts followed the same path. It examines why these people converted, how the conversion process went for them and what they get from their Jewish identity. Perhaps most important, it raises the issue of “the whisperers” — Jews who do not regard such converts as full-fledged members of the tribe. The segment also explores why having more converts is important for the future of the Jewish People.
Source: “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly”
Watch the “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly” documentary [8:23] about Jewish converts. >>
Photo: Forks Over Knives
