Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews with Converts to Judaism [Paperback]

Catherine Hall Myrowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1977

Finding a Home for the Soul is a collection of interviews with people who have searched for greater meaning in life and have discovered Judaism's carefully wrought understanding and nurturing of the human spirit, manifested in ritual, prayer, and values. Catherine Hall Myrowitz introduces the reader to forty-two people who have graciously and courageously shared the motivation and experiences that ultimately led to their conversion to Judaism.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Myrowitz, a psychotherapist and a "Jew by choice" herself, conducted nearly 40 interviews with an exceptionally articulate?and diverse?assortment of other converts to Judaism. The interviews are presented in narrative form in this unique and thought-provoking new book. Here are men, women, blacks, whites, young people and the middle-aged, gays and lesbians, who converted to Judaism for reasons as diverse as their backgrounds, marriage or another significant relationship with a Jewish partner, specific life experiences that led them to seek deeper spiritual ritual or commitment, or simply spiritual wanderings. Those interviewed speak frankly about their motivations and responses to conversion as well as the reactions of their families and the Jewish community. One woman beautifully summarizes the majority's feelings: "Being a Jewish woman is such a core part of my identity, I can't even imagine what my life might be like had I not converted to Judaism....I think that converts bring perspectives of cultural diversity along with our commitment to Judaism, which enriches the vast and beautiful tapestry of Jewish life." Highly recommended.?Marcia Welsh, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Catherine Hall Myrowitz is a convert to Judaism and for fifteen years has been an active member of the East Bank Havurah, an egalitarian minyan in Baltimore. As a clinical social worker, she has led groups for Jews by Choice for the Jewish Family Service. She is a contributor to the book Lifecycles: Jewish Women on Life Passages and Personal Milestones. She, her husband, Elliott, and their children, Rachel and David, live on a farm.

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc. (July 7, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568213220
• ISBN-13: 978-1568213224
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Jewish Life

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars intelligent, intimate and informative, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews with Converts to Judaism (Paperback)

I picked this book up off the shelves of my local JCC library. Amidst the books on conversion that I've encountered so far, I find it to be the least partisan. It shows a spectrum of conversion experiences from liberal to orthodox, male and female, striaght and gay, white and of colour authors. I found it to be highly articulate.and intimate.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting also for the sub-plot of interrcultural romance!, February 9, 2006

By 

Jeannette Belliveau "Author, "An Amateur'... (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews with Converts to Judaism (Paperback)

I bring no background knowledge to the matter of conversions to Judaism, so this book helped me to understand a bit about this topic. I read "Finding a Home for the Soul" as a consequence of meeting the author, a wonderful, engaging woman.

As a Roman Catholic, I was most intrigued with descriptions of those Catholics who simply never warmed up to "Jesus" as Messiah and wandered into the orbit of Judaism because of a greater comfort with the notion of one God the Father (excuse me if I am mangling this concept).

My specialty is more the arena of intercultural romance, which "Finding a Home for the Soul" indirectly addresses, as many of these conversions (but not all) occurred as a result of a mixed marriage.

Also intriguing to me are the descriptions of important rituals in the Jewish faith. Sitting Shiva seems an especially valuable exercise that our overall society might think about adopting.

As it is (I think here of funerals for members of my own family), an American funeral is often a wild 24-hour ride through the wake, the funeral and a gathering afterwards. The idea of structuring mourning over a good length of time just seems so human and right.

I would suggest that the book could be improved by a larger type face -- that's the book publisher and designer in me speaking. Overall however kudos for an indepth work with loads of material.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait, August 22, 2005

By 

Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews with Converts to Judaism (Paperback)

I wanted this book when I first saw it in the bookstore when it was originally published, but balked at the price, and by the time I began to think about finally getting my own copy, it seemed to have gone out of popular circulation. I eventually found a used copy for a much more reasonable price, and it was really worth the wait. I had begun reading it before, and all of the rest of the many personal stories, based on interviews Mrs. Myrowitz had conducted, were just as good. The author herself is a JBC, and shared in the lengthy but quite good introduction her own personal story and journey. Like a number of people profiled here, she too technically converted because she was in a relationship with a Jew, but not in the traditional way one is used to. Instead of undergoing some superficial conversion for no other reason than she was marrying a man who insisted she convert (or whose family ordered her to convert), she had already long been drawn to Judaism and Judaic values anyway, and finding the man who became her husband was more like the catalyst to do something serious about these feelings. Although not all of the JBCs profiled converted for marriage; some, at least at the date of publication, weren't even in relationships. Many people assume the only reason someone would become Jewish (or any other non-Christian religion) is because of an impending marriage, but here we have plenty of stories of people who did it only for themselves, before even being in a relationship, or who still aren't in a relationship period, with either a Jew or a Gentile. And not all of the stories are of white converts; there were some individuals profiled who are African-American, and I loved the story of the woman whose husband was living in France but with Moroccan roots. It's such a myth that Jews are only white and from Eastern or Central Europe. Many things led these people to convert, but overall they prove what is often said, that a JBC is oftentimes more devout, passionate, and committed than many JBBs. I also enjoyed the extensive bibliography and have since read or bought a number of the wonderful books suggested.