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The Big Tent Judaism Blog
containing up-to-the-minute news about the efforts of the Big Tent Judaism Coalition and other programs and events within the Jewish community that open our tent...
Monthly Archives
Another Conversion Controversy
If someone is interested in becoming a Jew, if they find meaning and value in the religion, shouldn’t we do everything we can to foster that passion? If someone believes Judaism is the spiritual path that’s right for them, isn’t it up to us to create a space where they will feel welcome to eventually become part of our community? Typically the answer is yes, but according to an article in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), that’s not
what’s happening right now in Colombia, South America.
A group of recent converts in Colombia, who call themselves Maim Haim (Living Waters), have found themselves subject to intense scrutiny and skepticism by the established Jewish community. One of the arguments is that the motivations are not genuine. They are viewed as “émigrés-in-waiting more interested in obtaining Israeli citizenship” than becoming Jewish. Another is that Maim Chaim isn’t interested in joining the rest of the community, and that the group’s members “have not asked to join Colombia’s main Jewish institutions.”
This kind of division is exactly what the Jewish community should be avoiding these days. Maim Haim has shown, in the face of extreme prejudice, that they have the will to practice Judaism without the support of many in Colombia’s established Jewish leadership. That alone should demonstrate their honest motivations. While some have started to warm up to Maim Haim, others believe they should have been accepted from the get-go:
“It is unfortunate the rejection of Maim Haim and other groups that go through the whole conversion process are still not received in their city’s synagogues,” said Jaime Eisenband, president of a Colombian Jewish institution, the Baranquilla Philanthropic Israeli Center. “I honestly see it more as a social issue than religious. Despite the brave standpoint of some Colombian Orthodox rabbis saying they should be received as Jews, the community leadership still keeps them out.”
We have a hard enough time engaging folks who are already Jewish. The last thing we should do is to make it harder for people who are seeking out Judaism. Hopefully the members of Maim Haim – and all future converts – will find a community willing to embrace their decision and welcome them into our big tent.
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