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Describe the factors which have drawn you to Judaism.

I was born into a Roman Catholic family, I was baptized, had my first communion and then went to church on occasion. It was something that I did as a child and as I got older I didn’t feel the need or connection to want to go to church. Upon meeting my fiancé, religion was discussed briefly and sort of set to the side. I knew where he came from (Israel) and the fact that he was Jewish was an interesting side note for me. He wasn’t raised in an outwardly religious family, he attended community events and celebrated holidays but it wasn’t a huge part of our relationship. As time went on, we had more and more discussions about religion and the topic of my conversion came up. I had never been to a synagogue before so we decided the best way for me to make a decision about converting was to immerse myself in the Jewish way of life. My first time at the synagogue was an eye opener. My fiancé and I came in and were immediately greeted at the entrance by a wonderful couple that wanted to know all about us. Never having been there before, it was a little bit confusing. I wasn’t sure of what was being said, how to follow along and I didn’t want to be disrespectful in any way. It just so happened the topic of discussion that day was conversion, how appropriate. It was a wonderful and enlightening discussion that opened my eyes to the value Judaism sees in converts. I was asked to stand up and introduce myself and the warmth I felt from everyone was overwhelming. After the service was over everyone made their way into another room for food and it was then that I felt apart of this loving community. People were so encouraging of my endeavor to convert, recent converts told me their story, people took me aside to offer their assistance. What a great feeling! Since then, we have been attending services and joining in on community events around town. It’s been a little over a year since this first experience at the synagogue and I’ve had a chance to experience the whole year of High Holidays. Ultimately my reason for converting to Judaism was that it would allow me to share the faith with my fiancé and it allows me to unite my family religiously. In the end I feel that it will be easier for our children because I will be giving them a clear religious identity. But with those outwardly obvious reasons, I didn’t realize the sense of community and loving feeling I would gain from this experience. It’s been so much more then I could have imagined.

Which Jewish values do you find most appealing and persuasive?

The entire Jewish value system emphasizes honesty, justice and compassion above all else. When the great sage Hillel was asked to recite, while standing on one foot, what the essence of Judaism is, he replied, “Do not do unto others that which is hateful to you.” And he added, “All the rest is commentary. Now go and study…” This is a magnificent cornerstone of civilization and compassionate behavior. Judaism also connects belief with action. Maimonides suggested that we consider the world evenly balanced between good and evil. When we perform good deeds, we tip the balance of the world towards good, and if we do evil, it goes the other way. This leads me to believe that our acts can tip the balance of the world, what an amazing thought. It’s a great way to envision how powerful each of us is to affect the world and those around us. There is no act in Judaism considered higher than giving “tzedakah”. It’s one of the many brilliant Jewish laws and values that help make the world a better place for all to live in.

How is Judaism more appropriate for you than your former religion or worldview/lifestyle?

One of the most important reasons that I feel Judaism is more appropriate for me than Catholicism is the belief in individual freedom that is woven into the fabric of Judaism. It also is a religion of positive thinking. Every thought, every lesson, every ideal is positive, from love of God to insisting on standards of justice, from saying a blessing before we eat to refusing to rejoice at the death of our enemies and not to mention, thanking God for the rainbow when we see it. The Torah says: Choose Life, so that you may live life, that is, thrive and prosper! It’s an uplifting religion and that reason alone provides comfort. Catholicism requires you to go to confession and confess your sins. I could never feel totally comfortable with that idea. I spoke with God everyday, yet in order to be forgiven, I had to go to confession. That never made any sense to me.

Describe your understanding of and relationship to God.

Judaism is based on a great theological idea, that there is one God, infinite, all-knowing and eternal, unseeable and unknowable, there is none else. There are not different gods for every people, region but only one God for all on earth. Judaism offers a way to connect with God through prayer, to pray for strength and guidance when dealing with difficulties, to be grateful for all that has been given to me and to recognize what is important and holy in life. My relationship with God involves attending synagogue as well as saying prayers in my home, I have always felt a responsibility to honor God and keep him in mind with anything that I do.

How has your personal and home life changed because of Jewish tradition? How do you see your Jewish life progressing in the future?

My personal and home life has definitely changed for the better. Obviously with all of the studying I have been doing, there is Jewish literature all throughout my home. I find myself drawn to reading this material before anything else, and actually coming back to it when questions come to mind. With my future plans to eventually move to Israel, I only see my life changing for the better and it will further my feeling of identity with the Jewish people. The most obvious change to my personal/home life my observance of Shabbat. Admittedly I am still learning and try to observe Shabbat every week. As time goes on, I see my personal/home life becoming more involved with Jewish traditions.

Describe your sense of identification with the Jewish people in relation to Israel, world Jewry, the local Jewish community and your synagogue.

Judaism to me is a community religion. We pray as a community, we observe as a community and we’re set up to always form a community. Even the basic concept of prayer that requires a Minyan to take place, requires community. It’s a wonderful concept, everyone counts. Attending services at the local Synagogue on a regular basis has been the best way for me to identify with the Jewish people. After the service every week, everyone gets together to share and to stay connected. They have been an endless source of information as well as encouragement during my conversion. Being that my fiancé is from Israel and also that we live in Hawaii, it seems as though because they are such a small group of people, they have all managed to find each other and it’s been a real pleasure to have them as friends. I have been able to learn so much from them, from their experiences in Israel alone.

What is your commitment to prayer, Shabbat and keeping kosher?

Shabbat has become a special time for me, not about prohibitions, but about creating a very special time, a time for not only rest but holiness, connection with God and connection with family. When family and friends come together at the end of the week to share the festive meal in celebration of Shabbat, it truly feels as if I am a part of a beautiful ancient ritual that to me is one of the great treasures of Judaism. My commitment to prayer has always existed, it is a very natural thing to me and it always has made me feel closer to God. My commitment to keeping kosher is a totally new concept to me. It is something that I will continue to strive to do. It’s been a bit of a slow change for me, but I the end I do intend to keep kosher and plan to keep a kosher home for my family.

How do you plan to continue your Jewish study?

Learning for me is a lifetime endeavor. There is so much knowledge to gain and I could probably study for 24 hours a day and still barely make a dent in the material that’s available. And that to me is a wonderful challenge. For me, learning from others is such a valuable tool. I could sit down and read a thousand books but studying under the guidance of someone who has more knowledge then me is the ultimate study guide. That allows me the ability to study, discuss, debate, even argue my ideas and also allows me to rethink my ideas. My fiancé and I plan to visit Israel which will be a great source of information for me and at some point plan to move there. Seeing the places where events in Jewish history took place may give me a greater sense of connection. Immersing myself in the Jewish community will be a great way to continue on with my education. Learning Hebrew is the thing that I am currently working on and I’ll tell you, learning a new language at this age isn’t that easy. The thing that has been so helpful for me are all the people that make a point to keep me in the loop when they are speaking Hebrew to each other. People going out of their way to explain what they said, that is the best way to learn. I realize I couldn’t do any of this alone, and luckily with such a close Jewish community, I don’t have to!