Shona's Site
  • about
    • faith
      • articles
    • Legal
  • roots
  • save $
  • Blog
  • Contact me
Shona's Site
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Features
  • Contact me
  • Home 2
  • Home 3
  • Welcome
  • Home 5
  • Beauty
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Music
  • Travel
  • Post formats
  • Video post
  • Post with pagination

Yes I’m Black, And I’m Jewish

These are all Jews; according to traditional Jewish Law (halacha)

In case you are wondering, I will quickly satisfy your curiosity by saying yes, I converted. In general, I do not write or blog about my conversion — mainly because I do not feel that my experience was typical. There are many other converts (or gerim…as they are referred to in Hebrew) who blog and do a much better job then I ever could (some are linked below).

My Jewish Timeline

Picture

1st Meeting With Rabbi

After some research I first met with a Reform rabbi to inquire about conversion. He declined me and said that I was too young. At the time I was 14 years old.

1994
Picture

Joined Hillel

In spite of not being Jewish I joined and was an active member of the Hillel House at WVU. This was my first time practicing Jewish rituals with others and being a part of a community.

2000
Picture

Reform Conversion

After relocating to FL, I found a Reform rabbi who agreed to convert me. However due to growing frustration with the Reform movement, I left the congregation shortly after my conversion.

2005
Picture

Found Aish HaTorah

Starting taking classes on a regular basis at the local Aish HaTorah center. Relocated to an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.

2006
Picture

Found A Rabbi

After more then a year, I finally found an Orthodox rabbi who agreed to oversee my conversion. I had asked several before him, but they had all declined.

2007
Picture

Moved (Again)

Was in a major car accident which forced my return back to PA.

2008
Picture

Final Conversion

After a lot of struggle, I finally had my Orthodox conversion right before Pesach.

2011

כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ, וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין–עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי, וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי

“…for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God…” – Ruth 1:16.

Links

  • You can read my conversion story here (it’s long though….about 14 pages).
  • For an Orthodox conversion in the United States, visit this site. Also be sure to bookmark the page of the participating batei din.
  • Before you commit to a conversion to Orthodox Judaism, read “A bill of rights for Jewish converts” (including the comments) first!
  • If you have the time, please watch this series of videos on YouTube entitled: “Conversion Crisis: Is the System Broken?
  • If you are considering converting via Orthodox auspices, run, don’t walk, over to Skyler’s blog here

Welcome :-)

about-me-image
Black & Jewish Mom to 3 fantastic boys (including twins)! I have an MBA in marketing and after working for almost 20 years in real estate, I've recently transitioned to working in the non-profit sector. I've had this blog for quite some time so feel free to search to find posts related to the topics that interest you - Enjoy!
Rishona


Top Posts

  • My Transabdominal Cerclage
    My Transabdominal Cerclage
  • A Collection of Responses to Black Antisemitism on Social Media
    A Collection of Responses to Black Antisemitism on Social Media
  • The Basics On Business Transaction Documents
    The Basics On Business Transaction Documents
  • Cooking the Books: The Twisted Business Ethics on "Breaking Bad"
    Cooking the Books: The Twisted Business Ethics on "Breaking Bad"

My Last Tweet

My Tweets

What I’m Reading

What I’m Listening To

No One in the World
Anita Baker
3 weeks
Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician
Grace Jones
3 weeks
Everything I Own
Boy George
3 weeks
Mercedes Boy
Pebbles
3 weeks
I Just Can't Stop Loving You (feat. Siedah Garrett) - 2012 Remaster
Michael Jackson
3 weeks

Archives

My gorgeous little boy 🥰
I have to get a video of him in action - boy has talent! 🤩
#bestbuddies
#sotrue #religiousfreedom
@msshona
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. (2022)
 

Loading Comments...