USA | 70 minutes | 2021
Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish
World Premiere
What about Judaism is so compelling to a person that they are willing to turn their lives upside down to join the Jewish people? Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish follows several non-Jews from around the world as they go through the conversion process: Diana from Costa Rica found out about her Spanish-Portuguese Jewish roots through a high school genealogy project; Adam from Toronto was raised as a Pentecostal Christian but started questioning his beliefs as a teenager; and Bianka from Warsaw wanted community and an intellectual approach to spirituality. All of the film’s subjects are on a journey of self-discovery, negotiating their relationships with family, friends, and significant others. All are searching for identity and connection. Through following their conversion process, we are vicariously exposed to a range of Jewish ideas and practices. Along the way, we get a chance to meet their teachers and guides and the community that they seek to join.
Accompanying the film premiere is a discussion with directors Rebecca Shore & Oren Rosenfeld, executive producer Raphael Shore, and moderator Rabbi Efrat Zarren Zohar, executive director of CAJE. To view the conversation please click here.
Sponsors
Evelyn & Dr. Shmuel Katz