Reclaiming The C (Convert) Word
For some time, Jewish leaders have been encouraging the use of the term “Jew by Choice” as an alternative to “convert.” This is an understandable and good-intentioned attempt to remove much of the stigma that the Jewish community puts on the terms “convert” and “conversion.” However, I believe that this attempt is basically misguided. Words gather connotations from the attitudes and experiences of those who use the word. Replacing a word that has a negative connotation with a … [Read more…]
JBC News of Interest – 11/22/10
Happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate)! This week’s news wrap up has some interesting stuff to read, so let’s jump right in… The first piece in this week’s roundup is from The Jewish Week, where Rabbi Yehuda Gilad of Yeshivat Maale Gilboa and the Rabbi of Kibbutz Lavi, both in Israel, wrote a great essay on the implosion of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. On this issue, Jews by Choice of nearly all stripes share common cause with the religious Zionist/דתי לאומי community, as the … [Read more…]