When I learned Spanish a few years ago, it came pretty easily. There are so many cognates and the rules of grammar are similarish to English, so even if I didn't know the exact meaning of the word, I could usually guess the rough meaning of a sentence using context clues. While I never became…
Dear American Jews: Go on a Birthright Trip to Israel
I finally made it to Israel - and because only tour groups can get into the country, I decided to come in on a Birthright trip. Although initially it was a strategic decision to get myself into Israel when I couldn't do it any other way, I'm so glad I experienced Birthright and I highly…
Mazel Tov to Me
Well, it's over. Between the hustle of getting the conversion finished, packing everything up, and spending time with my family before leaving for Israel, I've neglected writing. General space-cadetness is also to blame. In any case, at the end of April I had my last meeting with the rabbinate and was approved to finish the…
Can We Just Passover Cancel Culture?
One of the most defining aspects of Passover happens before the holidays begins – when Jews rid their homes entirely of chametz, or foods with leavening agents. Because the Jews were forced to flee the Egyptians before their bread had time to rise, they left Egypt with only matzahon their backs – the flat, unleavened crackers that…
The Second Meeting Takes Place, and I am Assessed Again
The second meeting with the Beth Din came and went in late November, and was more or less similar to the first meeting. There was a greater focus on halachic knowledge, and the rabbis really got into the specifics of things like how one properly separates (or, more commonly, does not separate) items on Shabbat,…
Getting Ready for the Second Meeting
Yikes - it's been almost five months since I last wrote! I went out of town to visit my family in June, and then caught Covid, and everything was so hectic for a few months that anything that wasn't of great importance fell to the wayside. Just before I visited my family in June, I…
Candidacy Assessment
Finally it happened - the first meeting with the local Beth Din! This wasn't one of the three meetings that the Beth Din requires for conversion, but rather an initial meeting to assess my viability as a candidate. Because of COVID-19, the Beth Din still isn't hosting meetings in person, so the meeting took place…
On Hold… Indefinitely
Waiting to hear back from your rabbi, who's waiting to hear back from the sponsoring rabbinical court, who are busy dealing with their own congregations and coronavirus, is like sitting on hold with the IRS. You have to provide very specific information, and you have to remember it because the outcomes hinges on you having…
Passover At A Distance
Although the Jewish calendar is full of important holidays, Passover is arguably the most important. The Jewish exodus from Egypt to freedom in Israel is the seminal event in Jewish history, and as Jews re-enact their ancestors' oppression, living through the plagues, and eventually reaching their freedom in this climatic story, they reiterate the importance…
My First Shabbat
This week, I did a really special thing: I brought in Shabbat by myself for the first time! I've been preparing for - and bringing in - Shabbat for many years with the various Jewish families I've worked for, but doing it by myself was different. There were no little kids running around making noise.…
Exodus 