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Fall Newsletter 2002
Throughout his high school and university years in
Spain, Alejandro Gutierrez Bera couldn't explain his
attraction to Judaism. "My friends kept asking me
why an educated Christian was so interested in
visiting synagogues and learning about Jewish
traditions, " remembers the Ph.D. student in
philology. "I've felt like a Jew all my life, but I
didn't know why. " The only friend who really
understood was Beatriz Calderon, whom he met at a
Judeo-Christian study center in Madrid. "I was
always involved in both the Jewish and Christian
worlds, " recalls Beatriz, the daughter of a Catholic
family. "When I went to synagogue, I felt that I
could pray there; I felt comfortable even though I
didn't know anyone from the community." |
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to a new life in Israel: Ulpan Director Renana Birnbaum |
Alex and Beatriz began dating, and as Beatriz, too, became increasingly involved in Judaism, the couple decided to undergo formal conversion, followed by marriage. Last year, at the suggestion of their rabbi in Madrid, they enrolled in the OTS Spanish-language Institute of Jewish Studies/Conversion Ulpan in Efrat, the only program of its kind in the world. Today, as Alex and Beatriz complete their intensive Jewish studies, the couple, along with 30 other conversion candidates from Spain, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Morocco, has already become an integral part of the local community.
"Each student or family in the program is 'adopted' by an Efrat family that helps the newcomers adjust to living a full Jewish life in Israeli society," says ulpan director Renana Birnbaum. "Although our students come from strikingly different backgrounds, we show them that they all have an important role to play in the Jewish community. " This move toward Jewish unification was the aim of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel when it approached OTS to initiate the conversion program three years ago. Since then, more than 100 students have undergone conversion. As a result of the program's intensive curriculum and practical assistance, all have passed the stringent requirements of the bet din at their first test - an unprecedented accomplishment for a conversion program.
Like Alejandro, most of the students have come to the program after discovering a hidden element of Judaism in their backgrounds. One woman remembers being given an Old Testament on her 12th birthday; another recalls his grandmother lighting candles each Friday night, then immediately blowing them out. Alejandro sums it up neatly: "I've finally found the pieces that complete my puzzle. I've discovered a new life, a new home and my beautiful heritage. "
