Daily Excerpt: Since Sinai (Gonyou) - Foreword
The following excerpt comes from Since Sinai by Shannon Gonyou.
Foreword
This book is about my journey as a
woman raised Catholic in a town with very little exposure to Jews and Jewish
ideas who subsequently became Jewish. If you picked up this book, it could mean
one of a few things. Maybe your family has been Jewish for generations, and
you’re curious about why a total stranger to Judaism would want to join the
community. Maybe you’re considering Judaism for yourself and are curious about what
the process of conversion will look and feel like. Perhaps you’re a devoted
Christian, curious about what would lead someone away from Christianity. This
book will strive to provide a satisfactory answer to all of those questions.
My high school
English teacher told me that every piece of writing is a persuasion piece. I
think that’s true, but this book is not here to persuade you that Christianity
is “wrong” or that Judaism is “right.” I won’t even attempt to persuade you
that Judaism was right for me because only I can know that. The persuasion
piece of this narrative is that converts can, and do, find a meaningful home in
Judaism, and I’m an example of one of those converts.
I’ve never written
a book before, and I’m a little overwhelmed by the heaviness of my first book
being about something so deeply personal, historically rich, and
philosophically complex. Religion can be difficult to talk about. For that
reason, in everyday life, I mostly don’t. Many of my acquaintances know that I
converted to Judaism, but I sense that they’re afraid to ask why. This isn’t
necessarily a bad thing because while I love to talk about Judaism, I don’t
love that people often expect me to opine on the correctness of my belief
system in comparison to theirs. Because of that, it feels important to preface
this one-way conversation with a note about what my book is not equipped to do.
This book cannot
definitively help you decide whether you should become Jewish. It cannot
meaningfully help you decide whether conversion is ultimately right for you,
nor which movement of Judaism to choose. This book will not purport to tell you
which religion is right or wrong because I don’t think spirituality is a matter
of fact versus fiction as much as it’s a matter of feeling at home in your own
belief system. This book is certainly not meant to convince anyone to leave
Catholicism or Christianity like I did. If you’re happy with your spiritual
beliefs—or lack of spiritual beliefs—I am very happy for you.
This book cannot
serve as a scholarly guide to Jewish versus Christian theology. I only feel
qualified to speak on my experiences
with religion, not to be the definitive voice on what each faith stands for. Other
Christians experience Christianity differently than I did, and other Jews
experience Judaism differently. I also don’t want anyone to think that all
Jewish converts were formerly Christian. Some are, many are not. If you are
reading this book to find out what conversion programs are like and you don’t
harbor any curiosity about what led me from Catholicism to Judaism, you are
more than welcome to skip to Chapter 9. I’ll never know!
This book isn’t
meant to be an accounting of what Jews believe. Other authors have covered that
topic extensively, and different Jews believe different things; that’s half the
fun. I’m not going to tell you what I think happens after we die, nor will I be
using this book to share my thoughts on the State of Israel. This book also cannot
convince anybody that following any religion is inherently good. Maybe a
religious institution harmed you, or maybe you’re a very comfortable atheist
who doesn’t get the draw of organized religion. You have my respect, anyway.
What this book can do is tell the story of one convert
(me) in order to (hopefully) de-mystify the process of why someone who grew up
without knowing more than three Jews would want to later become Jewish herself.
In the name of transparency, I grew up Roman Catholic and was involved in
churches of various denominations for 25 years of my life. I later converted
under the auspices of the Conservative Judaism movement in the United States,
often called Masorti Judaism outside of North America. I am not in a position
to speak to the ways in which Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist, or other
conversion processes differ, and this book will not disparage any of those
movements. In fact, now that I live in New York City, I attend events hosted by
many denominations, from Chabad to post-denominational.
You might be
curious about what it is that I believe. I’m not presenting any of my ideas as
“Truth,” but everyone has a bias. It’s important to know mine up front. I am a
Jew who identifies with the American Conservative movement. I believe, as my
wise cantor Liz Berke once suggested, in “one God or less.” I do not believe
that God is a man or my father. I read the Torah as rich and timeless
literature with many possible meanings for our lives today. I believe that our
matriarchs and patriarchs did some things well and also made mistakes, much
like us. I believe that community traditions often have value even in the
absence of an explanation. I believe that you’ve found your religious sweet
spot when you feel both empowered and challenged by your practice.
I am a fervent
believer that the faithful are called to take care of the earth and to take
care of each other. I believe that every person you meet was created b’tzelem Elohim, or in the image of the
divine. Because of that, I believe in working to create a Jewish community that
supports women, Jews of color, queer and trans Jews, patrilineal Jews,
interfaith families, and converts. I think that sex-positivity is a better
framework for young adults than “purity,” but if you disagree, definitely skip
Chapter 3. I believe that we should strive to treat the dead with respect and
mourners with great care and that helping mourners cope and move on after a
loss is an essential function of the community. I believe that to sin, per the
Hebrew definition, simply means to “miss the mark.” I believe that humans are
not inherently sinners and do not need to be saved from our sinfulness; we just
need to be surrounded by people who can help us grow as we muck our way through
life. I love the process of tshuva,
the Jewish version of making amends. I believe that we are all God’s partners
in creation, and that means that we should be careful and intentional about the
things we do and say. I think that living a life of morality and service is
important, whether you’re conventionally religious or not. I believe that no
one can tell anyone else what the right decisions for themselves are, but our
religious communities can provide a helpful framework for working through
life’s more trying moments. I believe that changing one’s mind is a sign of
strength, not flimsiness. I believe that forgiveness is generally good but is
not always required. I believe that we have so much to work on in this life
that time spent thinking about a hypothetical next life is not usually time
well spent. I believe that Jesus was a controversial member of the Jewish
community and not that he was a deity. Finally, I believe the best thing about
Judaism is that other Jews can disagree on most of this and we’ll probably
still be able to share a Shabbat dinner in peace.
consistently on the top 100 lists for biographies about Judaism
For more posts about Shannon and her book, click HERE.
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