Why more Canadians want to convert to Judaism, especially after Oct. 7

The CJN Daily with Ellin Bessner

With the synagogue firebombing in Australia, Israeli soccer fans being beaten in Amsterdam, and antisemitic incidents now a daily occurrence impacting Canadian schools, houses of worship, the workplace, social media, and the streets, you might wonder why anyone who isn't already Jewish would want to join "the tribe". Yet from coast to coast, since Oct. 7, rabbis of all denominations are reporting this is exactly what they are seeing: a heightened interest from people wanting to convert. At Toronto's largest Reform synagogue, Holy Blossom Temple, the conversion cohort this fall is 60 students–double the intake of the previous class. Meanwhile, Reform rabbis in Mississauga and Oakville report having to cap admissions to their conversion courses, scrambling to find rabbis to offer one-on-one instruction, and there are waiting lists. While we don't have accurate numbers nationally, anecdotally some Conservative and Orthodox rabbis tell The CJN they are also seeing similar trends. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner sits down with three new Jews to hear their journeys and how the antisemitism unleashed Oct. 7 is a battle they are joining with eyes wide open: David Gelles, 36, a Toronto lawyer with roots in the Holocaust; Julie Moreau, a therapist in Oakville who decided to convert just after Oct. 7; and Gracia Mboko, an African-born entrepreneur in Burlington who found Jewish signposts on the ground and in the air.

Related links

• Why Alexandria Fanjoy Silver converted twice, on The CJN Daily.
• Read more from Emily Caruso Parnell about the conversion process she underwent from both Orthodox and Reform pathways, in The CJN archives.
• How Canada’s newest converts prepared for Rosh HaShana in Kelowna, B.C. on The CJN Daily from 2021.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (producer), Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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