Update

I had to update the website. The website software itself needed to be updated as well as several plugins. I was also going through old posts and found a few that were private, but still on the site. Most were from November 2009 – January 2011. They were concerning Thelema.

Of course, I know why I privated them. They were the “old” website and the old me. I was converting to Judaism and wanted the new website to reflect my new path. But, I feel that these documents do help show the transition from where I was to where I am now. So, I have made them all public again. They won’t change the focus of my website, but will show more of how I got to where I am today. They’re a valuable piece of the journey.

So, if you want to see them, look back in the posts and they will be at the beginning of my posts. Some are dispersed throughout though.

Local Church Sign Vandalized

I’m sure this incident is inspired by the swastika incident. It’s not like this area is a hotbed of constant, public anti-Semitic acts. It’s not. We had the Catholic priest, Most Rev. Richard Donahoe attend our Rosh Hashanah service and speak, we hold a Passover Seder at a different church every year, the churches around us lend us their parking lots for the High Holy Days, etc. So, while there is an underlying anti-Semitism and racism for some, it’s not a majority by any means. If I wear my kippah and walk from synagogue, I hear “Shalom”, not slurs.

So, here is the incident in question: http://www.shelbycountyreporter.com/2012/01/03/church-sign-vandalized-with-anti-semitic-message/

But, I really love the stand the pastor took afterwards:

“It just kind of disturbed us. We are Christians and have theological differences with the Jewish faith, but we are rooted in the Jewish faith,” Irvin said. “We are not a hate group, not anti-Semitic. We do not consider them as enemies; we consider them as friends. We respect the Jewish people.

“We really do respect those people and their beliefs,” he added. “We don’t want them to have any harm. It just disturbed us that some people may have seen our sign and it was not us that put it there.”

Irvin posted a new message on his church’s sign.

“It’s from Psalm 122:6, ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, how blessed are those who love you,’”

Beautiful. Thank you, Pastor, and may the blessings of God shine upon you and yours

What it’s like being a Jew…

Sixteen days ago, I became a Jew. Well, that’s when the public ceremony was. I actually fulfilled the three requirements 2 days before: beit den, hatafat dam brit, and immersion in the mikveh. So, what’s it like being a Jew? Has anything changed?

Before that happened, I thought I’d be at this point and be able to say “Nope! I’m the same guy I always was!”. I cannot. That person drowned in the waters of the mikveh. A new Jew arose from those waters and took his place in a new world. Now, I’m sure plenty about me has remained the same. But, how I relate to the world has changed. I’m looking at it through new eyes. I have a new sense of purpose.

The ten months in the conversion program were practice. You observed the holidays and rituals. You learned and you grew. But, nothing can compare you for the feelings you get now: that these are YOUR rituals, YOUR holidays….that they were given to YOUR ancestors….your people. At this point you’re probably thinking “That’s illogical. You still have your same family tree.” and to that I reply “But a new branch has been added….that of my father Abraham.”

Gidon ben Avraham – that’s my Jewish name. Gidon (Gideon according to the Christians), son of Abraham. Being a child of Abraham really resonates with me. It really gives me a sense of belonging. Every bit of Jewish culture belongs to me as well because of my father Abraham… a man I never knew in person, but who announced One God to the world and joined in the covenant with that God. Because of him, I was able to enter into that covenant in 2011. His work bore fruit in me. (more…)

My Letter to the Birmingham News

The first day of Chanukah, I was contacted by the editor of the Birmingham News. He loved my article and, if I’d agree and also send him a headshot, he’d put it in a prominent place in the Christmas day edition of the newspaper. I was elated, thanked him and agreed.

Here is the article.

A New Jew and His Community

Last week was a spectacular week for me. I went through the circumcision (hatafat dam brit, in my case), beit den (religious court), and mikveh (ritual immersion). I then went before my community and became a Jew. Words cannot express how I feel now. It is an experience unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It was a deeply emotional and religious undertaking that has ended in a new beginning for me. After a little over 10 months in a conversion program, I am now a Jew.

You work these things out in your mind and you anticipate them. In my mind, I’d go through the ceremonies, finish the conversion process, say a couple of things in front of the congregation, and that would be that. It would be back to life as normal. Boy, was I wrong. For starters, the entire Shabbat service included me. For the first time, I held the Torah in my arms. I came very near to crying when this happened. It was totally unexpected.

When you hold Torah, you are embracing what it means to be Jewish. In your arms you are holding the book of the Law, the bedrock of your people…something that people have given their lives for and sacrificed greatly to preserve. It represents the lives, the hopes and the dreams of an entire civilization and, for that moment in time, its weight rests upon you. The second it does, the whole weight of your life disappears. You are standing there with your congregation….standing with the nation of Israel and nothing else exists – you, your community, and Torah.

That, of course, was a profoundly…PROFOUNDLY holy and life-altering event. I held Torah and we made the procession around the synagogue. Then, I was able to say the blessings over the Torah and, after the reading, hold it until it was placed back in the ark. I was then allowed to speak a short time, telling the congregation what had brought me to this place and time. The rabbi asked me questions, had me declare my intentions, and I was accepted into my community and my people. (more…)

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