Let’s get started with the first book review! Choosing a Jewish Life was one of the very first books I read after I discovered that it was possible to convert to Judaism. I think it’s an excellent book to begin with – it gives a broad overview of Judaism and the conversion process, and is an easy read compared to some of the other books on my list. Diamant has written a handful of other books on Judaism, one of which I’m currently still working on reading myself! These other books cover Jewish life, marriage, parenting, and more. It is worth noting that one of her novels, The Red Tent, has been described as problematic by a lot of readers. I haven’t read it personally so I can’t give my opinion on that, but I haven’t seen things in her non-fiction books that reflect the sorts of problems pointed out in her novel. As such, I still consider it to be a great resource and introductory book.

Rating

9/10

Do I recommend it?

Yes! It’s a fantastic introductory resource for those considering conversion and is an easy read.

Highlights & Overview

Diamant begins in Section 1 with a discussion of what it means to take on a Jewish Identity. This is not a simple identity change; you are taking on the history and traumas of the Jewish people, and for most people there is a complex struggle with choosing a path that is different from the one your parents raised you in. How do you handle the holidays you’ve always celebrated with your family? How do you explain that Judaism isn’t simply a religion, but an ethnicity you’re taking on? How do you tell your loved ones that you’re converting in the first place? These are some of the questions she tackles in the first section.

Moving forward into Sections 2 and 3, Diamant discusses the actual logistics of converting. This includes choosing a stream of Judaism, a synagogue, and a sponsoring Rabbi. How do you begin your studies in Judaism? What are you expected to learn over the course of your conversion? How to start off learning Hebrew? How do you go about choosing your Hebrew name? In the following chapters, Diamant describes the rituals involved in the actual day of conversion: the Beit Din, brit milah/hatafat dam brit (circumcision), and finally, immersion in the mikveh. She also explores what conversion of non-Jewish children looks like, from infants to school-age.

Section 4 is about celebrating the beauty that is conversion to Judaism! From those waiting outside the mikveh to shower you with love and many a “mazel tov”, to the first Shabbat as a Jew, reading from the Torah and being celebrated by your congregation, and even a full-on party that is all about celebrating you joining the global family that is Judaism! This is such a special moment, a sacred point in your life, and it is deserving of all the celebration in the world.

Finally, in Section 5, Diamant dives into living your life as a Jew. Continual development of your Jewish identity, embracing the culture, doing mitzvot and Torah study, and your role in your community. She discusses once again the challenges you may face around non-Jewish holidays, imposter syndrome, and other things you may struggle within your first months/years of being an official Jew. This is a beautiful and difficult stage of your identity development and should be recognized as such.

The Positive

As you’ve probably picked up on, I really like this book. As I’ve said, it was an easy, accessible book to read (it’s no Jewish Literacy, that’s for sure!!), and every one of the 5 sections kept my focus and desire to keep reading. I’m a fast reader and read it in a day or two, which was really nice to be able to get through the whole book in a short period of time. I do suggest you read the chapters in order, unlike some of the books I’ll talk about later that are more of reference readings, this one follows a well-laid out pathway of chapters.

The Negative

I don’t have much to say in terms of the negative aspects of this book; the biggest one is probably the controversy around her novel that I mentioned in the introduction. In my opinion, there is so much to gain from the content of this book that I am able to separate the problematic aspects of her novel from this non-fiction book. This isn’t something that everyone is comfortable doing, which is completely understandable – hopefully, some of the books I cover later on will fill in for this one if you choose to avoid reading it!

Final Words

I sound like a broken record by this point, but I highly recommend this book as one of the first you read on your journey. Even if you’re just interested in learning about Judaism and not even planning to convert, it’s a fascinating read that covers a really interesting aspect of Jewish life.

See you next time!!

Never forget that this is a journey of your own choosing and of your own design

page 120

A conversion, like a wedding, is just the beginning

page 147

You are a Jew. And like other Jews, your talents and your family recipes, your questions and your children will change the course of Jewish history

page 349

Numbers can’t begin to describe the way that conversion to Judaism has changed the Jewish world for good

page 372