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First Time For
Everything

A newly converted couple prepare
themselves and their home for Pesach.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman | Contributing Writer

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Sarah and David Barnes on the day of their Jewish wedding.

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his week, when all the physical
and spiritual preparations are in
order, Sarah and David Barnes
will begin the observance of their
very first Passover. It’s another major
milestone for the couple (secularly mar-
ried for seven years) who converted to
Judaism in October, celebrated their
Orthodox Jewish wedding and experi-
enced the birth of their first child.
Still, preparing for Passover is a com-
plicated, tiring, continual lesson even
for those who have done it year after
year after year. So imagine the effort
involved for Sarah and David, who’ve
been Jewish for a total of six months
and everything from dishes to tradi-
tions is largely new and untested.
That’s where “community” comes in
with advice, assistance and direction
with the many guidelines, lists and
changes involved.
“I’ve been asking friends and reading
blogs about the logistics, about when
to clean what, and checked the OU
(Orthodox Union) and Star-K Pesach
guides online,” Sarah said.
They also know they can turn
to Sarah’s learning partner, Rachel
Freedland. And for questions relating to
Jewish law, there is Ari Kostelitz, their
sponsoring rabbi through the beit din
(Jewish rabbinic court) division of the
Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater

Detroit in Southfield who oversaw their
conversion.
In addition, they have tremendous
support from neighbors, synagogue
members, and staff and families at
Akiva Hebrew Day School in Southfield,
where the two are both employed.

GETTING THERE
Raised in evangelical Baptist homes,
the Barnes’ road to Orthodox Judaism
was long and winding, and marked by a
very gradual, well-thought-out process.
“It started for me as a pursuit of spiri-
tual truth and meaning,” David said. “I
had grown up in a religious Christian
environment but had pursued the study
of biochemistry and genetics in college
where religious thinking was vehement-
ly attacked. I came out of college rather
agnostic and, for 10 years, had little to
do with organized religion of any kind.
“I re-examined Christianity, but from
a scholarly point of view. I looked into
other religions. At this time, things
began to happen. I would notice a book
on Judaism at the bookstore and have to
buy it. I would have a random conversa-
tion with someone who was Jewish.”
In the early 2000s, David was
employed as a reader for a company
that graded MEAP tests in Ypsilanti.
“Out of several hundred, maybe even
1,000 employees, for some reason I

continued on page 28

26 April 21 • 2016

