Progressively Speaking: Should there be different expectations for converts compared to those born Jewish?
Rabbi Charley Baginsky gives a Progressive Jewish view on a topical issue
The principle that those who convert to Judaism are treated exactly the same as those born into our faith is one that has held since Torah times.
Shavuot has just passed, on which we read from the Book of Ruth – the story of the Bible’s most famous convert and progenitor of the family line that would give us King David.
Yet, in today’s ever increasingly polarised world, even this sacred principle is now under threat.
There have been calls from some quarters that recent converts should keep their heads down, especially when it comes to discussion on Israel and anti-Semitism.
The argument is that those who weren’t born Jewish simply don’t have the experience to comment.
The recent targeting of the young activist Charlotte Nichols is a case in point. She attended the controversial Jewdas Seder with Jeremy Corbyn, and then spoke about it positively in interviews, including with ITV, The Guardian and New York Times.
I, like many, disagreed with some of Charlotte’s views.
However, where things got ugly was that for some taking her on in debate wasn’t enough. She had her social media trawled to prove that she wasn’t a ‘real Jew’, and the fact that she had converted from Catholicism used against her.
The campaign jumped from social media to the printed press with an article in The Spectator, which opined that: “One might consider it polite for a relative newcomer to Judaism to refrain from publicly criticising elected Jewish leaders.”
It shouldn’t need saying, but any Jewish person’s views on any topic, no matter if right or wrong, have nothing to do with whether they converted.
Indeed those who imply that a conversion gives someone a lesser status to comment are ironically the ones who seem to have forgotten the key tenets of our faith.
As Liberal Judaism simply states on our website: “A non-Jew who converts to Judaism is Jewish for all purposes.”
Since it’s founding more than 115 years ago, our movement has done so much on egalitarianism. This does not just mean equality between men and women, or equality for LGBTQI+ people – but equality between all people.
There should be no hierarchy in Judaism and that is something everyone needs to remember, even when we don’t agree.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky is Liberal Judaism’s director of strategy and partnerships
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
