THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS,
Friday, September 5, 1975 21
01•11111
Converts Suffer Negative Reactions From Born Jews
■ 11•10
FIRESTONE
JEWELRY
holv.nle Ilirmiond‘
By BEN GALLOB
(Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.)
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A Christian who con-
verted to Judaism has re-
ported that an acquaintance
met so many negative reac-
tions from Jews during his
conversion that he decided
to hide the fact and to
`swear he was born Jew-
ish."
Norman Wright, describ-
4
For You And All Whom You Hold
Decr, May You Live And Love,
May It Be A Good New Year,
Graced With Good Health And
Blessed With Happiness In A
World Of Peace.
IF
I 11XS
8hec<;
Northland, Eastland, Westland, Southland,
1254 Washington Blvd., Broadway at Gratiot
Ann Arbor • Flint • Toledo
1
THE OFFICERS AND
DIRECTORS OF THE
HEBREW
BENEVOLENT
SOCIETY
(CHESED SHE_ EMES)
26640 GREENFIELD ROAD
Oak Park, Michigan
Extend Their Best Wishes
For A Happy and Prosperous
New Year To All Their Members,
Synagogues, Organizations
and Great Detroit Jewry.
Joseph M. Korman
Jerome C. Friedman
President
Trustee
Leo B. Furst & Meyer I. Cooper
Vice - Presidents
Eck ard Miller
Cemetery Chairman
Morris Dorn
Harry E. Citrin
Treasurer
Honordry President
Nathan P. Rossen
Rabbi Israel I. Roekove
Executive Secretary
Executive Director
Harry Laker
Rabbi Denry L. Goldsehlag
TrUstee
Louis P. Topor
Trustee
Nathan Wolok
Wright said he had been
employed, while he was at-
tending graduate school, in
a fundamentalist Christian
boarding school, "but with a
charge of heresy pending
against me." Reporting that
"doubts and misgivings"
about the Christian faith
"had been eating away at
me for years," he said he
finally left both the school
and Christianity.
After he started his first
university teaching as-
signment in Corpus
Christi, Tex., he was in-
troduced by a Jewish his-
torian to other Jews, Jew-
ish books and religious
services. At first, he re-
ported, he was reluctant to
become more deeply in-
volved "because I had
been turned off by every
form of organized religion
I had touched."
When he finally intro-
duced himself to the rabbi,
he knew he wanted to be-
come Jewish. He said he
found the most difficult
part of the conversion proc-
ess was learning to feel Jew-
ish.
Soon after he converted,
his wife did also "and our
son was born Jewish." He
said his growing interest in
Jewish studies and concern
for Jewish survival "com-
pelled me to abandon my ca-
reer in English literature"
for one in Jewish education
and Jewish communal serv-
ice.
One of the "disturbing
reactions" from Jews, he
reported, was that the ques-
tion "Why on earth do you
want to be a Jew?" com-
monly follows his telling a
horn Jew that he and his
wife were converts. He said
that response implied to
him such Jews viewed their
Jewishness "more an acci-
dent of birth than a matter
of choice and pride," as the
latter was for him.
Asserting his conviction
that "an authentic Jewish
Hermwritink.
1
I wish your nation [the
Jewish people] may be ad-
mitted to all privileges of
citizens in every country of
the world. This country has
done much. I wish it may do
more; and annul every nar-
row idea in religion. govern-
ment and commerce. Let
the wits joke; the philoso-
phers sneer; what then? It
has pleased the Providence
of the "first cause," the
universal cause, that Abra-
ham should give religion,
not only to Hebrews, but to
Christians and Mahome-
tans, the greatest part of
the civilized world.
—John Adams
&
Jetreln
& U filch Hepntrinx
IN MEMORIAM
Jabotinsky Evening
BORENSTEIN'S
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Borenstein
Mr. and Mrs. Avrohom Borenstein
Wish You A
Happy and Healthy New Year
Machzorim .. .
Tell us the synagogue you attend
and we will give you the correct book
Talleisim .. .
A large selection
of sizes, colors and fabrics
Complete Selection o
..163her Wine for Ae _Jdoliday3
• Carmel • Kedem • Lipschutz
Please Place Your
Jewis h Nation
Cemetery Administrator S
Assistant Director
ing his own experiences,
said that while he had been
readily accepted in every
Jewish community he had
visited or lived in, he too had
observed "disturbing Jewish
reactions" to converts.
Wright reported on his ex-
perience in Davka, a quar-
terly journal published by
the Hillel Council at the
University of California at
Los Angeles.
life can be lived only by the faith, for the sake of our
SUITE 31$ ADVANCE BLDG.
those who, born Jewish or own youth and for the sake
23077 Greenfield at 9 Mile
not, actively and willingly of a stronger Jewish fu-
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ture."
choose it," Wright de-
clared that "the self-dis-
trust reflected in the ques-
tion is a sad indication of
an ignorance of Judaism's
virtues and attractive-
ness."
Arguing that reluctance
In this period of somber reflections we pause to pay
to accept converts and to
tribute to those members of the Hannah Schloss Old
seek them "is neither utili-
Timers who have departed.
tarian nor wise," Wright
rejected any effort to
We pay tribute to their memory for their friendship,
"mimic the militant evan-
and for all the good deeds that marked their active
gelical sects who stop people
lives.
on street corners and invade
homes with their propa-
Our heartfelt sympathies go to their families.
ganda."
But, he said, he felt the
availability of conversion
courses should be made
more widely known, and
that Jewish public informa-
tion centers be set up near
Zionists Revisionists Of Detroit
universities and in dense
presents a community wide
urban areas.
He also proposed that ev-
ery Jewish congregation
have an organized group "to
welcome the convert and
in memory of the greatest Jewish Leader of Our Time
potential convert, to make
Young Israel Center, 24061 Coolidge, Oak Park
him part of the community
and to help him experience
Sat., Sept. 13, 9 p.m.
the Jewish way of life."
He warned that the Jew-
Guests: Rabbi Solomon Poupko
ish community "dare not be
(speaks on New Middle East)
complacent and idle while
the rates of intermarriage
Films of Israeli Yom Kippur War will be shown
increase and every militant
Entertainment Cantor Adler & Eric Rosenow
sect picks off our young peo-
Food & Drinks served
ple." He said an active con-
Donation $2.50
version program should be
The Community is invited
undertaken by the Jewish
Wishing A Happy New Year To All
community "for the sake of
548-3073
those who marry outside • Call 968-5575
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