Jesus · Jews/Jewish/Judaism/Orthodox Judaism · Los Angeles · rabbi

It’s all in the family

We’re in Los Angeles for my husband’s internship at a local synagogue. And as a perk, we get to spend time with the family. Yay, family?

My mother-in-law reminded me of a little known family fact at the last Sukkot meal. Converts usually face a lot of obstacles in family harmony when they decide to convert. My father thought it was funny. My mother would probably keel over if she knew. My sisters took it well…except for that time I told them Halloween had become a holiday I stopped celebrating. A couple of my friends stopped talking to me all together and decided that I hated Jesus.

But the person that took it the worst is someone I’ve never met. My mother-in-law’s brother decided that earlier on that my Orthodox conversion wasn’t kosher. Because it wasn’t performed by a handful of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) rabbis that he thought would perform it most appropriately. My mother-in-law and her brother have stopped talking altogether over MY conversion.

Sigh.

3 thoughts on “It’s all in the family

  1. I’m sorry you had to go through that over the chag. Your gerut is beyond reproach and anyone who would question your Jewishness shows they have no credibility!Enjoy California and keep up the good work you are doing!

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  2. Interesting post. I also had one Jew back in my hometown who had many issues personally, but who also stated, behind my back, that my conversion wasn’t valid because some other converts that the same rabbi converted had chazru l’suram, returned to their old ways. Odd what kind of halachos some people make up.-Dixie Yid

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