(Ed. note: Arutz Sheva has not read the writer's social media postings and has no opinion about their accuracy or content. We were moved by the beauty and sincerity of her story, sent to us by a friend with her consent)
I always felt a strong pull towards the Jewish faith.
My mother is a French Catholic who underwent a Reform Jewish conversion and my father is Jewish Israeli. My mom was raised in Colmar, a city in northeastern France. My mom always felt a connection with Israel even though she grew up in a Catholic home. In 1987, Asher, my father, had studied acting for six years in France, and he met my mother. He worked part time at the Jewish Agency where he met my mother when she came to the agency office and expressed an interest in volunteering in Israel.
My mom worked at Kibbutz Ein Hashofet in the North, studying Hebrew at an ulpan in her spare time. My parents had a civil wedding in France.Shortly after their civil marriage, my mom decided to convert to Judaism through the reform movement since the rabbinate lost her file and demanded that my father become observant which he refused.
Even though my mom was not halakhically Jewish, I felt Israeli and completely Jewish but I knew I was not considered Jewish. I didn’t feel the need to convert because I felt part of the Jewish people.
In July 2019, I entered the IDF and enrolled in an officers’ training course. At the conclusion of the course, I was sent to Michve Alon, an IDF base made up of new immigrants, Druze, Bedouin, soldiers who did not finish high school, and those with family issues. I served as a human resources officer at Michve Alon.
The base is also the home of Nativ, a program for soldiers who want to convert to Judaism. I wasn’t connected to the religious world because I grew up in a secular home. But when I went to officers’ school, they spoke to us about Judaism and Zionism and Israel, and something touched me.
In 2022, I decided to participate in the program. I felt I was going to change, and it frightened me. I knew I had a connection to Judaism, but it wasn’t something I was used to.
I was placed with an adoptive family during my conversion process. It was complicated because I have my own family. I had to live in two worlds and had to set aside enough time for each family.
I was assigned to a family in Tzur Yitzhak, a town near Kfar Saba. They supported me, and I learned a lot from them. The conversion process is complicated and mentally shakes you. It is a real change. The Jewish "language" is completely different from the secular "language", If you don’t get support, you can’t finish the course alone.
I learned a lot during the Nativ course such as concepts of Halaklha, mitzvot, and the spirit of Judaism – things that my secular friends know very little about. My adoptive family really changed my life. It was the fact that I spent time with my adoptive family. I saw their way of life, and it really appealed to me. They are nice, good people. Because of their religion, they are calmer, better people, and their children’s education is better. I really connected to it.
My friends and family supported my decision to attend the conversion course. I felt a split personality when I returned to my real family. They are not Shabbat observant. I had to respect them and keep Shabbat when I was there, and they had to respect me. We succeeded.
I was very nervous and stressed during the Beit Din. It was unpleasant for me to try to prove myself, sitting opposite three men. I know what I did. I am proud of the path that I took, and I had to prove myself.
Many of their questions dealt with the laws of Shabbat and holidays and the blessings recited before eating food. The encounter lasted approximately 20 minutes, after which I waited outside alone. I was then called in and was informed that I passed the exam. I was happy and excited.
We learned strictly by the book, and I think that we were missing summaries, such as ‘How do you feel, and where are you in this process?’” I think that conversion is a bit like birth. And when you are involved in something like that, you want the person helping you to be smiling and pleasant, but the rabbis want to be sure your feelings are not the reasons for converting.
Ten days after the rabbinical court meeting, I went to the mikveh (ritual bath) for the immersion, accompanied by a Mikve attendant, three rabbis, and my sister.
I remember when I went into the Mikveh. Wow – it was a spiritual experience! When I came out of the mikveh, I said to myself, ‘Noa, you are not living the life that you should be living.’ I wanted a change in my life.”
Soon after the conversion, I moved from Tel Aviv, where I was working as the assistant guest relations manager at the Dan Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem, where I worked as concierge at the King David Hotel in February 2023. Tel Aviv did not provide the same spiritual feeling and was no longer the place for me.
However, after Oct. 7, everything changed. I was put on unpaid leave and resigned from my post.
Since then, I have devoted much of my time to helping prospective converts learn about the conversion process, drawing from my own conversion experiences on social media, under the title “New Choose New Jews.” with accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where I post short videos that provide practical information about conversion including “How to know if I’m ready to convert”; “How to make your family part of your process”; and “Myths about converts.”
Many of the videos that I posted feature practical advice for those studying conversion, such as tips on how to manage the first visit to a synagogue; how to pass the rabbinical court exam; and how to deal with family issues during the conversion process.
As a convert I was missing assistance along the way. It’s a sensitive and sometimes lonely path. Even those who supported me didn’t know what I was undergoing because they were born Jewish. They didn’t understand the complexity of it.
As a graduate of the Nativ course, I wanted to speak with those who are converting. I saw how much it helps them that someone who was in the process understands what they are going through, speaks with them, and gives them tips from personal experience. This is what I wanted to provide for my followers. My goal is not to convince people to convert but to provide information to people interested in converting. This is something that teachers and rabbis can’t always do because they were born into it.
People around the world noticed my Instagram page, and I was flooded with inquiries from outside Israel, mostly from people in the United States. Today, virtually all of my followers are from outside Israel. It’s a challenge for me because I have to understand where they are from, because the rules are different all over the world.
In Israel, for example, prospective converts must take a conversion course and spend time with an adoptive family. In the United States, the rabbi sponsors the convert. France has stricter conversion requirements, and the process can take as long as three or four years. When I speak with prospective converts, I first determine what type of conversion process they are interested in pursuing, and then turn to rabbis I know.
As far as I know, I am the first convert to provide practical information on conversion via social media. Recently, I lectured and taught prospective converts at Nativ in Kiryat Moriah, where I began my conversion process years ago, about the distinctions between Judaism, Zionism, and “Israeliness.”
Sometimes people come to me who have converted, and they are afraid to present themselves as converts and I tell them that we had the privilege to choose Judaism. There is no need for shame. We should be proud of it.
As a result of what I learned in my conversion process, I not only feel more Jewish, but the fact that I know more makes me feel more Israeli and gives me a closer connection to Israel and the Jewish world that was missing beforehand. Something was missing, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now I feel more complete and more myself. I chose this for myself, and I worked at it.
Now I am working on videos and strategizing how to make my story and knowledge of conversion into a career.
Ironically, the first apartment where I lived in Jerusalem after converting was located on Ruth Street. After all, where else would a convert feel so welcome...