This month, my church chose my first book, Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter, for its book club. I hadn’t volunteered the fact that I had written a book, and it was published under my maiden name, so I was surprised that someone managed to find it. I’m not sure how common it is for authors… Continue reading Revisiting my memoir at church book club
Tag: Jewish converts to Christianity
Is blowing a shofar in church worth a compromised witness?
Recently on Instagram, I came across a post from a pastor and author I follow. He was pictured blowing a shofar from the pulpit, and explained in the caption that this is a tradition he “borrowed” from the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah. He uses his shofar during the first Sunday service of a new year.… Continue reading Is blowing a shofar in church worth a compromised witness?
Horrified but distracted. Empathetic but numb.
While a terrorist group attacked innocent civilians at a concert in Israel, I was probably sleeping. At seven weeks pregnant – the size of my first baby when she was discovered lifeless in my womb at eleven weeks – I was dealing with a fair amount of personal anxiety. And nausea. On a progesterone supplement… Continue reading Horrified but distracted. Empathetic but numb.
Grieving antisemitism as a Jewish-born Christian
There’s a strange irony in being a Jewish convert to Christianity. The former community no longer considers me a member, yet the Nazis would. And now, more recently, so would the terrorist group Hamas. I struggled for years with needing external validation for who I am and where I belong. Though accepting it from hate… Continue reading Grieving antisemitism as a Jewish-born Christian
Thank God I’ve changed
There have been two major shifts in my faith so far. The first, and most obvious, is the shift from Jewish to Christian. The second is more recent. Around the time I dropped out of seminary in 2013, my faith started falling apart. I had been a believer for about five years at that point,… Continue reading Thank God I’ve changed
The condensed “confessions”
My bat mitzvah, November 2001 I recently found a Word doc called "Testimony" that I had written to share with my church small group a few years ago. Consider it a condensed version of Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter...even at 2000 words! *** For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with reading… Continue reading The condensed “confessions”
A Jew-“ish” Christian goes to Poland
Last month my family went on a trip to Poland to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Why Poland, you ask? My mother’s side of the family is from there. This trip was a deep dive into our Jewish ancestry, as well as a quest to find the best pierogies in every city we stayed in. It’s… Continue reading A Jew-“ish” Christian goes to Poland
What was missing from my progressive theology
Most of my twenties were spent immersed in Progressive Christianity, although I wouldn’t have called it that at the time. I would have explained that I was going through a season of heavy doubts and questioning, which happens to most Christians at some point. If there is any dogma I picked up in progressive Christianity,… Continue reading What was missing from my progressive theology
What Mary offers grieving mothers
For most of my Christian life, Holy Week and Good Friday have been emotionally difficult. It’s a season that brings up old memories of being called a “Christ killer” by the mother of a childhood friend. Hearing Gospel passages of the Jewish people demanding Christ’s death has always made me extremely uncomfortable. That’s still the… Continue reading What Mary offers grieving mothers
Let’s Talk: a Rabbi Speaks to Christians (a review)
I’m a sucker for books about interfaith dialogue between Jews and Christians, but almost always left feeling disappointed and even frustrated by them. It’s not that I don’t believe productive conversations are possible – they are! I still have them regularly with Jewish friends. But when the goal is unity rather than education, Christian doctrine… Continue reading Let’s Talk: a Rabbi Speaks to Christians (a review)