Category Archives: Journal Entries

The Shul Story

Posted on October 25, 2009 by

The Whole Conversion Story Part 1 – This Is It ::  Part 2 – The Mikvah Story Part 3 – The Shul Story In our community, the final step in the conversion process is to stand before the congregation, deliver … Continue reading →

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The Mikvah Story

Posted on October 25, 2009 by

Arriving Friday, October 23rd, 2009 |  4 Cheshvan 5770 It’s a little after nine in the morning. Brian and I are driving out to the geographic heart of Jewish St. Louis, past Interstate 170, the asphalt curtain that divides the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ceremony, Journal Entries | 4 Comments

This Is It.

Posted on October 22, 2009 by

These will be among my last words as a gentile. Step One of Three Yesterday I locked myself in one of our rabbi’s offices with another member of our congregation, a very gentle man, an OB/GYN and certified mohel, trained … Continue reading →

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OMG! I’m Becoming a Jew in, like, Less Than Three Weeks!

Posted on October 7, 2009 by

Between working two jobs and the intense spiritual work of the High Holidays, I haven’t had a lot of mental space in which to contemplate the Very Big Thing happening in less than three weeks. I’m feeling a greater gut-level … Continue reading →

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It’s a Date! And an Eerily Fitting One at That!

Posted on August 30, 2009 by

After a few weeks of back-and-forth, we have a date for the mikvah, the ritual immersion that is the last step in the conversion process. October 23, 2009, or the fifth of Cheshvan 5770. I asked for this date after … Continue reading →

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How It All Started

Posted on June 15, 2009 by

THE BASICS Location: St. Louis, Missouri Religious Upbringing: Christian by osmosis, I guess. Spiritual Home Base: Central Reform Congregation A String of What I Thought Were Random Occurrences Led Me to Judaism The most immediate random occurrence was a suggestion … Continue reading →

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Nisan 5769 ~ April 2009

Posted on April 30, 2009 by

Note to Self: Next Passover, Take the Whole Week Off. I adore the way this holiday invites us to clean up, clean out, look at what we don’t need, simplify, be humble, and leave our narrow places behind. Between two … Continue reading →

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Adar 5769 ~ March 2009

Posted on March 20, 2009 by

This month’s short diary opens with simple gratitude. With thanks for the breath in my body, the love that surrounds me. For the grace that brought me to this journey. For the freedom I have to take it. For my … Continue reading →

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Tevet-Sh’vat 5769 ~ January-February 2009

Posted on February 15, 2009 by

I was on my own on the weekend of January 23rd while Brian was away at a conference, and something happened that, if I’m to be honest about it, scared me more than a little. It was Saturday night. I’d … Continue reading →

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Kislev-Tevet 5769 ~ December ’08 to January ’09

Posted on January 3, 2009 by

Coming Out … Again! I ‘came out’ to my immediate family over the Thanksgiving holiday by letting them in on the conversion. We all live in four different states and find our way to each other only a few times … Continue reading →

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