A Soulful Journey

 Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger (1926-2007), a Jewish apostate from Poland, became the cardinal of Paris but on his death bed, requested that  Kaddish  be recited at his funeral.   Remember who you are and live it.

Count Patotsky, a proselyte from Vilna, had a friend Zaremba who followed Patotsky’s idea – he and his wife had converted to the Jewish faith. After they become Jews Jews, Zaremba said to his wife, “Let us get a divorce now.  You marry a real Jew and I’ll marry a Jewess, and in that manner we will be rooted into the Jewish race.” Zaremba’s wife smiled wisely. “Two people were once stranded in a desert,” she said, “and lost their path.  They wandered aimlessly together, suffered hunger and thirst and were tortured by the burning sand and blistering sun.  Finally, a miracle happened and they found the road back to civilization.  When they reached their destination, they clasped each other’s hands and said, ‘When we lost our way we suffered great pain and agony together.  Now that we have found a place of refuge, is it wise that we should part?  Is it fair’?” Hold hands with the ones you love.  Do not let go.

In the early 1900s, of the Jew who decides that, in order to make it in the world, he needs to pray and align himself with the Episcopalians.  So he joins the local Episcopalian Church.  Eventually, living in a nice big house and doing well in his business, he decides that he needs to join the local country club — which, of course, in those days, is restricted.  So the membership committee invites him in for a talk.  After a while, they ask him, “So, Mr. Keen [nee Cohen], you say in your application that you're an Episcopalian. Is that really the case?”  “Oh, yes,” he tells them.  “I’m an Episcopalian, my father’s an Episcopalian, and my grandfather,  ala v  ha-sholem,  was also an Episcopalian.” Isn't it good that we no longer need fear of being who we are in order to be accepted? 

The Talmud tells of Onkelos, the son of Kallonymos, an outstanding personality of the ancient Roman Empire, who, becoming a proselyte, aroused the wrath of Caesar.  Caesar sent a group of solders to influence him to change his mind.  However, Onkelos succeeded in persuading the soldiers to become proselytes like himself.   Caesar then sent other militias, warning them not to converse with him.  They seized him and were about to bring him to Caesar when, leaving the house, he put a hand on the mezzuzah and smiled. Asking for an explanation, he said, "It is customary with a king of flesh that while he is in the palace his servants guard him from without.  Our King, the King of the Universe, lets His servants sit inside, while guards them." They too then became proselytes. Zie a yid , an old Yiddishism, meaning be who you were born to be and all will fall into place.

 If someone was a baal teshuvah (someone who had repented) you may not say to them, "Remember what you did..." If someone was a  convert, or descended from converts, you may not say tho them, "Remember what your ancestors did...."  - Talmud, Baba Metsia 58b

When I was going to be twelve, my great grandfather called my grandfather in Spanish and said, "It's time to tell the boy."  So the next morning, on my birthday. my grandfather woke me and took me to get water.  He began to tell me about the Jews in the Bible, the stories I had heard in Catechism class. I asked him, "Why are you telling me all this?" "Because,"he said, "eres Judio -- you are a Jew." And I said, "No, I'm Catholic," and he said, "No, eres Judio." I got angry, we had been taught to hate the Jews because they were the Christ killers, and here my own grandfather was calling me a Jew.  Then he pulled the water out and poured it over my head and said, "No tas portisado," that is, "you are no longer baptized."  So by pouring water over my head, he took away the baptism; it was time to wash it off.  And all of a sudden I realized that we had these strange foods and custom, these strange s...

Daniel Chwolson, the great nineteenth century Orientalist, who began life as a Jew, converted to Christianity and eventually became Professor of Hebrew and Syriac at the Royal University of St Petersburgh. Asked if he was a sincere believer, he answered: “Yes, I sincerely believe that I’m better off as a Professor at the Royal University of St Petersburgh than as a cheder teacher in Shinpeshok.” – Chaim Bermant In the past, enterprises and opportunities were closed to Jews.  Some moved inward embracing their heritage at a cost, while others jettisoned their roots to make a living.

Harvey and Estelle Cohen decided to convert to Protestantism.  So they went to a minister and dutifully attended all the exercises involved.  Finally, after the whole thing was done Harvey turned to his wife and said, “Now. Let’s become Catholics.” “But why?” she asked. “So that when he asks what we were before, we can say that we were Protestants.”  - Walter Rothschild Sometimes fear keep us from acknowledging who we really are.

The room was hushed as Louis Brandeis came forward. It was an electric moment, the first time that this exclusive Harvard Honor Society had ever accepted a Jew. For Brandeis it had not been an easy road. For the past three years,   the students -uninvited - had sat next to him as he had his lunch each day, saying things to him like, “Brandeis, you’re brilliant, could end up on the Supreme Court - except that you are a Jew.   Why don’t you convert? Then all your problems will be solved.” Brandeis had listened but had not responded. Finally, in his senior year of law school, his preeminence could not be denied. Jewish or not, he was invited to join the exclusive Honor Society. On the evening of the official induction, the atmosphere was thick. All eyes were on him as he walked to the lectern. Slowly, he looked around the room.   “I’m sorry I was born a Jew,” he said. The room erupted in applause, an explosion of shouting and cheers. They had prevailed upon him at last....

Czar Nicholas I was an anti-semite.  He was determined to convert all Jews to Christianity.  One day a young Jewish girl came to plead for her father's life when he was languishing in prison.  A golden statue of Jesus stood on a table.  The Czar paused and then said, "First kiss the groom," pointing to the figure. "There is a Jewish custom," she said,"that the groom must kiss the bride first."

Confess your offences to the cross without concealing anything relating to yourself or any other person, but without ordering false testimony against anyone. The Holy Office shows mercy to all who confess freely. Otherwise Justice will be executed.   from the Inquisition 

Are the two universes of life and death connected?  Do the dead feel pain?  Anguish?  Or is what we see, all there is? Reb Melech of Genhenz told: Once a great righteous man died.  His son had a terrible dream about him afterward where his father appeared to him and told him to convert.  The son went to his rabbi to ask what he should do about the dream.  The rabbi ordered that the body of his father be exhumed.  A crucifix was found on his chest.  -Meir Fund

“My baptism is my ticket of admission into European society and culture.” – Heinrich Heine “I converted out of conviction; the conviction that it is better to be a professor in St. Petersburg than a melamed (Jewish teacher) in Shnipishok.”   - David Chwolson See what we do not have to give up in order to fully access the world and our potential.