A Matter of Conversion: Reform Jewish Conversion in Israel as a Process of Identity and Belonging Construction

• In Event: Of Divided Minds: Conversion Conflicts and Identity Challenges

Abstract

My paper addresses Reform Jewish conversion in Israel as a transformative process involving the adoption, adaptation and interpretation of religious traditions and identities. This venue of conversion differs immeasurably from the Orthodox conversion which is considered the conventional way of conversion in Israel. Much of the recent research in Israel dealt with Orthodox conversion as a religious switch, national identity change (Kravel-Tovi, 2014), and as part of a naturalization process (Goodman, 2008; see Hacker, 2009 on gendered implications of this process). Only Skortowskia's (2011) research and my own (Libel-Hass, 2016) have focused on the study of the Reform conversion process in Israel. However, our research differs a great deal from one another. While Skortowskia's work is based exclusively on interviews with Russian speaking female converts, my research, on the other hand, focuses on women who came from western countries, Russia or the Philippines, who have Israeli partners. Furthermore, in contrast to Skartowskia’s research, my research addresses the issue of belonging to - and continuous active involvement in - a reform congregation, during the conversion process.
My paper relates to Handler and Linnekin's argument that tradition is continuously and actively constructed and reconstructed, in order to meet the needs of converts. In addition, I argue that Reform Jewish conversion can be seen, in Victor Turner's terminology, as a liminal (transition) period, during which the convert is introduced to various identity options, and reconstructs their identity and belonging by combining new and old elements. This is demonstrated clearly by the way converts and their partners speak about their Jewish identity and congregational belonging, during the liminal period of negotiation with competing traditions (Christianity vs. Judaism, Reform Judaism vs. Orthodox Judaism). This presentation is part of my doctoral dissertation, which analyzed the expansion of Reform Judaism in Tel Aviv through the case study of a well-known Reform congregation. My findings demonstrate that in an urban setting such as Tel Aviv, where global and local trends converge, the Reform conversion process takes shape as an intercultural encounter.

Author

• Einat Batia Libel-Hass, Bar Ilan University & Ashkelon College