MSI Press Blog

  Book Excerpt from  Since Sinai  by Shannon Gonyou (currently in Amazon Top 100 Jewish biographies) CHAPTER 1 (continued from May 14, 2025) Immediately after law school, I took part in a Holocaust studies trip to Germany and Poland with FASPE, or Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics. Through the program, I spent time studying Jewish history in Berlin and walking reverently through Auschwitz in Poland. Being at Auschwitz changed me, that much I’m sure of. Learning about the history of Judaism before, during, and after World War II was a moving experience. However, as much of an impact that the trip had, it wasn’t the one thing that made me want to become Jewish. In fact, it made me wonder if the realities of Jewish history would make it impossible to fit in as a brand-new member of the community.   I joined a sorority as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan. Jewish students were heavily represented in the Greek Life popula...

  Religious conversion often evokes images of long personal journeys, doctrinal shifts, or community transitions. But what happens when transformation isn’t gradual, but immediate—ignited by a direct encounter with the sacred? In the language of Mircea Eliade, this breakthrough is called  hierophany : the eruption of the sacred into the profane world, reshaping not just belief, but perception, identity, and purpose.🔍 What Is Hierophany? Hierophany (from the Greek  hieros  meaning sacred and  phainein  meaning to reveal) describes moments when the sacred reveals itself—whether through visions, natural phenomena, ritual acts, or sacred texts. These events break the normal flow of time and space, marking the moment as “other,” saturated with divine meaning. Think Moses at the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, or even less-scripted, deeply personal revelations sparked by dreams, crises, or encounters with beauty so profound it borders on the eternal....

  Religious conversion often evokes images of long personal journeys, doctrinal shifts, or community transitions. But what happens when transformation isn’t gradual, but immediate—ignited by a direct encounter with the sacred? In the language of Mircea Eliade, this breakthrough is called hierophany : the eruption of the sacred into the profane world, reshaping not just belief, but perception, identity, and purpose.🔍 What Is Hierophany? Hierophany (from the Greek hieros meaning sacred and phainein meaning to reveal) describes moments when the sacred reveals itself—whether through visions, natural phenomena, ritual acts, or sacred texts. These events break the normal flow of time and space, marking the moment as “other,” saturated with divine meaning. Think Moses at the burning bush, Paul on the road to Damascus, or even less-scripted, deeply personal revelations sparked by dreams, crises, or encounters with beauty so profound it borders on the eternal. ✨ Conversion Through Con...