Articles

Mass converts pose dilemma for Latin American Jews

As someone who likes to consider himself, somewhat of a student of History, I'm always fascinated by the timing of events; sometimes, the timing, itself can be an important story of its own. Now, there is a VERY high percentage of individuals of Jewish decent (some of whom are totally unaware) in Latin America due to Forced conversions (the "Anusim") in Spain and Portugal and the subsequent Inquisition. However, the idea that a group as large as the one below, in a Jewish community as small as Colombia's wants to convert to Judaism...well, among the questions to ask is, WHY NOW?!?

In my opinion, this is yet again, an example of the widespread gathering - those of Judah as well as those of Ephraim/Israel/Samaria/Joseph that's going on worldwide, right now. Now, this is all going on without active recruitment to convert (in fact, this particular group has many DISINCENTIVES to convert). And they want to go HOME....to Israel.....

Hanoch

Mass converts pose dilemma for Latin American Jews

By Florencia Arbiser · June 18, 2009

CARTAGENA, Colombia (JTA) -- Luis Alberto Prieto Vargas appears to be a Jew.

He wears a kipah, he introduces himself as Jewish and two years ago
Vargas, a Christian by birth, underwent a conversion ceremony to
Judaism following several years of religious study.

It all began seven years ago when Vargas, now 51, became part of a
movement in Bogota of religious seekers.

“As I did, most of the people involved came from Christian roots,” he
said. “And we found in Judaism an answer to our inquiries.”

But Vargas’ conversion hit a key snag: Jews.

First, Orthodox Jews in Colombia refused to accept Vargas and 200 or
so others as would-be Jews, vehemently disavowing association with
them and refusing them access to the community’s mikvahs for
conversion.

The group, which calls itself Maim Haim -- Hebrew for “living waters”
-- turned to religious authorities in Israel for training and, they
hoped, eventual conversion, but it was stymied when Colombia’s
Orthodox Jewish leadership contacted rabbinic authorities in Israel
and warned them against accepting the would-be converts.

Main Haim eventually found a rabbi in Israel willing to teach its
members, and in 2007 the rabbi and two colleagues convened a Jewish
religious court, or bet din, and converted 104 of them, including
Vargas.

Still, many Jewish institutions in Colombia refuse to accept them as members.

The plight of Main Haim underscores the difficulty many converts and
would-be converts to Judaism have in Latin America, particularly those
who convert as a group or come to Judaism on their own rather than in
concert with local Jewish authorities.

Local Jewish communities are concerned about being overwhelmed by mass
converts, and many have questions about whether the converts’
motivations are genuine. In Israel and in Colombia, the converts often
are viewed skeptically -- as emigres-in-waiting more interested in
obtaining Israeli citizenship, which is available to all Jews, than
Judaism itself.

Approximately 70 percent of Maim Haim members have filed petitions for
aliyah with the Jewish Agency for Israel. Their petitions are being
held in abeyance while Israel’s Chief Rabbinate makes a determination
as to their Jewish credentials.

“There should be a filter,” said Colombia’s chief rabbi, Alfredo Goldschmidt.

He said the country is witnessing an “explosion” of groups hoping to
convert. Colombia has about 4,000 Jews.

When he first arrived in Bogota in 1974, Goldschmidt said, he would
get about one call per month from someone interested in converting. By
1996, the rabbi said, the rate had jumped to one per week. About seven
years ago it was up to two to three calls per week.

Goldschmidt says the Internet has fueled interest in Judaism. Some
conducting their spiritual quests online are coming across rabbis who
offer services on the Web.

Last December, members of Colombia’s nine Jewish communities gathered
to debate mass conversions and how to handle them.

“Latin American Jewish communities are not prepared for the challenge
of mass conversions,” said Marcos Peckel, president of the Colombian
Jewish Community Confederation, the umbrella organization for
Colombian Jewry.

There are cases now, he said, “in which people going through
conversion processes are larger than the traditional Jewish community
itself. This would significantly alter the community’s life.”

For the time being, Main Haim members have been keeping Jewish
traditions -- acquiring a Torah scroll, holding bar mitzvah ceremonies
and importing a mohel from Venezuela when there is a newborn to
circumcise. Denied access to the mikvah in Bogota, the congregation
uses a river outside of Bogota as its ritual bath.

Peckel says each Jewish institution must decide whether or not to
accept Maim Haim congregants as members. He notes that the group’s
members have not asked to join Colombia’s main Jewish institutions.

“They decided to convert themselves as a group and establish their own
community,” Peckel told JTA. “They didn’t convert to join our
communities. Also, they were converted by Israeli rabbis without
consulting the Colombian Jewish communities.”

Gradually, however, the Maim Haim community has gained some legitimacy.

About six months ago, a Jewish community center in Bogota offered the
group some space and invited the community to Yom Hashoah and Yom
Ha’atzmaut celebrations.

A few weeks ago, Maim Haim members joined a class taught by a local rabbi.

“Little by little, the community’s doors have started to open to us,”
said Vargas, whose son and two other members of Maim Haim are studying
at a yeshiva in Israel.

“It is unfortunate the rejection of Maim Haim and other groups that go
through the whole conversion process are still not received in their
city’s synagogues,” said Jaime Eisenband, president of a Colombian
Jewish institution, the Baranquilla Philanthropic Israeli Center. “I
honestly see it more as a social issue than religious. Despite the
brave standpoint of some Colombian Orthodox rabbis saying they should
be received as Jews, the community leadership still keeps them out.”

Vargas discussed the difficulties of converts and would-be converts in
Colombia and Peru at last month’s conference for Latin American and
Caribbean Jewish community leaders. Organized by the American Jewish
Joint Distribution Committee, the conference took place in Cartagena.

At the conference, Rabbi Guillermo Bronstein of Peru, one of Lima’s
three rabbis, said the issue of conversions is a political one that
needs to be dealt with by the community as a whole.

“We have to be humble,” Bronstein said. “Instead of judging the people
wanting to be Jewish, we should put ourselves in their shoes.”

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