List of converts to Judaism
This article lists people who have converted to Judaism and have a Wikipedia article about them. This article does not differentiate between the different branches of Judaism. See also Who is a Jew? on issues related to the acceptance of conversions throughout the Jewish community.
(A number of prominent figures, such as Madonna, have recently become followers of "new age" version of Kabbalah, derived from the body of Jewish mystical teaching also called Kabbalah, but do not consider themselves – and are not considered – Jewish.)
List of converts to Judaism from Christianity
Christian Proselyte Communities
Former Christian clergy/theologians
- Nicolas Antoine, was a French-Christian Protestant theologian
- William G. Dever, a former evangelical minister who converted to Judaism and became a world-renowned Biblical scholar
- Ahuva Gray, a former Protestant Minister
- Asher Wade, former Methodist Minister
- Ole Brunell, former Lutheran Minister. Shlomo Ben Avraham "Ole" Brunell, former Lutheran minister from Finland and Australia. Along with him, his wife Ruth (formerly Runa), two adult daughters, two teenage daughters, and a former son-in-law also converted.[68]
- Skipp Porteous, former Pentecostal minister
Other Christians who converted to Judaism
- Abraham ben Abraham Potacki, Polish count, the famed "Ger Tzedek" (former Roman Catholic)
- Moses ben Avraham Avinu
- Aquila of Sinope, Bible translator [7]
- Tom Arnold, actor[8]
- Rafael Cansinos Assens, Spanish poet, essayist, literary critic and translator
- Abraham of Augsburg
- Carroll Baker, American actress
- Elizabeth Banks, American actress
- Steve Bedwell, Australian comedian
- Polly Bergen, American actress and singer
- Dany Boon, French comedian[9]
- Elizabeth Brewster, Canadian poet[10]
- May Britt, actress[11]
- Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning Australian-American journalist and author.
- Campbell Brown, American television news reporter (lapsed Roman Catholic)
- Drew Bundini Brown, assistant trainer of former heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali
- Sarah Brown, actress[12]
- Eddie Butler, Israeli singer
- Yisrael Campbell, comedian (lapsed Roman Catholic)
- Kate Capshaw, actress (ex-Methodist)[13]
- Nell Carter, singer and actress[14]
- Cristian Castro, a Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer.[15]
- Elizabeth Jane Caulfield, linguist and musician
- Connie Chung, American television journalist[16][17]
- Warder Cresson, politician
- Jim Croce, singer/songwriter[18]
- William Holmes Crosby, Jr., physician, considered one of the founders of modern hematology.
- Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer[19]
- Natalie Dessay, French soprano
- William G. Dever, archaeologist.[20]
- Jacqueline du Pré, cellist[21]
- Patricia Duff, political activist and United States Democratic Party fundraiser
- Hank Eng, Chinese-American politician[22]
- Miss Elizabeth, also known as Elizabeth Ann Hulette, was a U.S. professional wrestling manager.
- Isla Fisher, model and actress[23] (ex-Methodist)[24]
- Luke Ford, journalist.[25]
- Aaron Freeman, journalist and comedian (lapsed Roman Catholic)[26]
- Capers Funnye (ex-Methodist)
- Carolivia Herron, author (ex-Baptist)[27]
- Natan Gamedze, former Protestant, linguist and a Swazi royal, now a black Haredi rabbi.[28][29]
- Lord George Gordon, nobleman and politician[30]
- Reuben Greenberg, police chief of Charleston, South Carolina.[31]
- Lars Gustafsson, served as a professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas [32]
- Mary Hart (* 1950) American television personality, long-time host of the entertainment program Entertainment Tonight[33]
- Carolivia Herron, writer of children's and adult literature.[34]
- Monica Horan, actress [16]
- Joel Horlen[35][36]
- Carolyn Jones, actress[16][37]
- Thomas Jones (lapsed Roman Catholic)
- Jon Juaristi, Spanish writer [38]
- Semei Kakungulu
- Felicity Kendal, British actress[39]
- Cameron Kerry, politician, brother of John Kerry (lapsed Roman Catholic)[40]
- Jamaica Kincaid, author[41]
- John King, American television journalist (lapsed Roman Catholic)
- Mathilde Krim, Ph.D., founding Chairman of amfAR, a well-known association for AIDS research.
- Lenny Kuhr, a Dutch singer-songwriter
- Anthony Lake, American diplomat, political figure, and academic.
- Dr. Laura, American Radio Personality [16]
- Nahida Lazarus, German author, essayist, scholar, and literary critic
- John Lehr, American film and television actor and comedian
- Julius Lester, son of a Methodist minister and a children's author (ex-Methodist)[42]
- Elliott Maddox, former Major League Baseball player[43]
- Richard Marceau, Canadian politician
- Anne Meara (* 1929) American comedienne and actress, partner and wife of Jerry Stiller (lapsed Roman Catholic)[44]
- Adah Isaacs Menken, stage actress[45]
- Marilyn Monroe, actress (ex-Christian Scientist)[46]
- Santa Montefiore, novelist[47]
- Françoise Mouly, French artist, designer, and art editor of The New Yorker
- Michael Netzer, American comic book artist
- Jeff Newman (baseball)
- Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and academic[48]
- Bob Nystrom, former NHL player[49]
- Lorna Patterson, American film, stage and television actress
- Rebecca Pidgeon, a Scottish-American actress, singer and songwriter
- Moses Prado, professor of the classic languages at the University of Marburg
- Roger Rees, actor
- Abraham Reuel, a German, who was a pilot in Hitler army, and who then became a Jew and citizen of Israel [50]
- Mary Doria Russell, American author. (lapsed Roman Catholic)[51]
- Jackie Sandler, American actress
- Norma Shearer, American actress
- Shyne, a Belizean–American rapper [52]
- Karol Sidon, a Czech Orthodox Rabbi, writer and playwright
- Daniel Silva, American author of thriller and espionage novels [53]
- Dubrovin Stanislav
- Kim Stanley, American actress [54]
- Venetia Stanley, socialite [55]
- Joseph Abraham Steblicki (lapsed Roman Catholic)
- Margo Stilley, American film actress[56]
- Annette Taddeo, businesswoman and politician
- Elizabeth Taylor, actress (ex-Christian Scientist)[57]
- Karen Tintori, American author of fiction and nonfiction (lapsed Roman Catholic)
- Andre Bernard Tippett, a former American football linebacker for the New England Patriots (ex-Baptist)[58]
- Jacob Tirado
- Ivanka Trump
- Bob Tufts
- Ike Turner, American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. Son of a Baptist minister.
- Chris Van Allsburg, children's writer[59]
- Conrad Veidt, German actor [16]
- Mare Winningham, actress-singer (lapsed Roman Catholic)[60]
- Jackie Wilson, American soul singer.
- Steve Yeager[61]
- Katarzyna Weiglowa, Polish martyr
- Nikki Ziering, model [62]
List of converts to Judaism not from Christianity
From various ancient religions
- Aquila of Sinope (Acylas), from traditional Greek religion[70]
- Bithiah, from traditional Egyptian religion
- Bulan, king of the Khazars, from traditional Khazar religion [71]
- Jethro, priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses [6], from a Mideastern religion
- Makeda, queen of Sheba, from a Mideastern or Ethiopian religion[72]
- Dhu Nuwas, king of Yemen, from a Mideastern religion [73]
- Obadiah the prophet, from a Mideastern religion[74]
- Sh'maya, Sage and President of the Sanhedrin, apparently from a Mideastern religion[75]
- Avtalyon, Sage and Vice-President of the Sanhedrin, apparently from a Mideastern religion[76]
- Onkelos, Hebrew scholar and translator, from ancient Roman religion[77]
- Ruth, great-grandmother of King David, from a Near Eastern religion.[78]
- Helena, queen of Adiabene, from traditional Greek religion. [7]
- Izates bar Monobaz, king of Adiabene, from a Persian or Mideastern religion. [8]
- Symacho, wife of Izates bar Monobaz, from a Persian or Mideastern religion. [9]
- Monobaz II, king of Adiabene, from a Persian or Mideastern religion. [10]
- Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia (historical Khazaria), many of whom converted to Judaism en masse in the 8th and 9th Centuries CE from a Khazar religion. [11]
- Osenath, from Canaanite religion (her name relates to Anat)
- Zipporah, from a Mideastern or northern African religion
- Yael, from Canaanite or another Near Eastern religion
- Flavia Domitilla, from traditional ancient Roman religion (possibly to Jewish Christianity, as she is also a Christian saint)
- Titus Flavius Clemens (consul), great-nephew of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, from traditional Roman religion (possibly to Jewish Christianity, as he is also a Christian saint)
- Fulvia (wife of Saturninus), wife of Emperor Tiberius' close friend, Saturninus, from traditional Roman religion.
- Tub'a Abu Kariba As'ad, from Arabian religion, was the Himyarite king of Yemen. He ruled Yemen from 390–420 CE.
- Paulina Beturia, from traditional Roman religion
From Shinto
- Setzuso Kotsuji, son of a Shinto priest, and a professor in Japan (converted from Shinto to Christianity and then from Christianity to Judaism)
Undetermined former religion
Converts who later left the faith or were expelled
See also
References
- ^ A History of the Abuyudaya Jews of Uganda
- ^ "Rabbi backs India's 'lost Jews'". BBC News. April 1, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4400957.stm. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- ^ Kulanu: Bene Ephraim of Andhra Pradesh, South India
- ^ Converting Inca Indians in Peru
- ^ Judaism – Reflections on Giur
- ^ Kulanu: Claim Mexico playing host to a Lost Tribe
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, art. Aquila of Sinope
- ^ IMDB
- ^ Le Figaro Magazine which states "as though his conversion to Judaism in 2002 had paradoxically made him closer to his Pas-de-Calais roots".
- ^ Arc Poetry review of "Jacob's Dream" which states "Brewster is fascinated with her newly adopted faith of Judaism—poems about Jewish holy days and heritage are sprinkled throughout"
- ^ "May Britt Joins Jewish Faith", The New York Times, October 18, 1960, p. 46
- ^ Q&A with Sarah Brown "Judaism, for me, is more a spiritual thing than a religion, but I feel that I have a Jewish soul. I didn't convert because of my marriage; I just always felt like there was a Jewish soul inside of me just dying to get out."
- ^ New York Times
- ^ Chicago Sun Times via "Find Articles.": Said of her conversion "I needed to know where God was, and I went back to the basics."
- ^ EsMas.com
- ^ a b c d e Converted to Judaism
- ^ Happy Birthday, Connie Chung, Award-Winning Journalist
- ^ Interview with Croce's Cousin http://www.netporch.com/sa/
- ^ Jewish Virtual Library
- ^ Shanks, Hershel. "Losing Faith: How Scholarship Affects Scholars". Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 2007.
- ^ A Publishers Weekly review of Jacqueline Du Pre: A Biography by Carol Easton [1] states she was "the daughter of anti-Semitic parents who herself converted to Judaism and at age 21 married Jewish pianist-conductor Daniel Barenboim."
- ^ Democratic Convention Notes: Meet Chinese Jewish candidate Hank Eng – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
- ^ Gensler, Howard (November 27, 2006). "'Borat' to wed Aussie actress Isla Fisher". http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/living/16105670.htm. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
- ^ Isla Fisher's wife wish – sofeminine.co.uk
- ^ Luke Ford, XXX-Communicated: A Rebel Without a Shul. iUniverse, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0-595-66441-5
- ^ Aaron Freeman's website
- ^ Convert Authors
- ^ Natan Gamedze's website
- ^ Compass: Compass: The Black Jew Of Royal Swaziland – Abc Tv
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ The movie Shalom y'all
- ^ Contemporary Jewish Writing in Sweden – Lars Gustafsson Bio
- ^ Hart – [2] "Thought there are no Jewish Republicans in show biz? Well, Bush contributors include... host Mary Hart, who’s a convert to Judaism..."
- ^ Her website
- ^ Horlen, Joe : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum
- ^ The Big Book of Jewish Sports People by Peter Horvitz page 53
- ^ IMDB
- ^ El Mundo
- ^ Times Online interview: She says in the interview "I converted to Judaism in 1983. I am not a deeply religious person but it is a vital part of my life. It shapes my beliefs, and how I look at the world."
- ^ Seattle Times
- ^ judaism+-wikipedia&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=25 Beth Israel
- ^ Julis Lester's Home Page
- ^ Baseball Almanac.com
- ^ O'Toole, Lesley (December 22, 2006). "Ben Stiller : 'Doing comedy is scary'". London: The Independent. http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/features/article2092609.ece. Retrieved December 22, 2006.
- ^ Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco states of her marriage, "Adah was not at all interested in home or family; in fact, the only thing she shared sincerely with him was his religion–she adopted the Jewish faith and remained steadfast in it until her death."
- ^ "BBC On this Day"
- ^ The Independent Feb 7, 2005; online here Findarticles accessed Dec 11, 2006
- ^ The Nation
- ^ [3]
- ^ Lawrence Jeffrey Epstein (1989). A treasury of Jewish anecdotes. p. 5,6. http://books.google.com/books?id=PqFVRQV-Bb0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=a+treasury+of+jewish+anecdotes&source=bl&ots=rEDAwgO7If&sig=7-MAxC6Z3vFCouht-lijM3SzJS8&hl=en&ei=gNy4S7miIoz-tAPloJTpDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- ^ Interview at Book Browse "I am a Jew by choice and Italian by heritage. Shortly after I converted to Judaism, I came across a book by Alexander Stille called Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism."
- ^ Shyne To Be Released In April? « 57thave’s Blog
- ^ http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/20338/edition_id/415/format/html/displaystory.html
- ^ from biography "Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley" by Jon Krampner, 2006
- ^ New York Times book review
- ^ Stilley – [4] "...the former model, raised a Christian in Conway, S.C., recently announced that she is converting to Judaism. Even her rabbi is befuddled.... "The first thing that attracted me to Judaism was the undeniable family strength that has held Jewish people and culture together for 3,000 years. . . Jews, whether religious or not, know where they have come from and what they would wish for their future, and this certainty is based on fact, not faith.... "I will not be a perfect Jew, nor will Judaism make me perfect. But I know that Judaism will give me faith, support, knowledge, and history. I am not Jewish because I choose to be. I am Jewish because there is no other choice for me.""
- ^ In her book Elizabeth Takes Off, Taylor writes, "[Conversion to Judaism] had absolutely nothing to do with my past marriage to Mike [Todd] or my upcoming marriage to Eddie Fisher, both of whom were Jewish. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time." [5]
- ^ Profile at Jewishsports.com
- ^ Jewish Bulletin of Northern California:On being asked about Christmas, because of the Santa Claus related The Polar Express, he stated "We have a Jewish household. I converted when I married Lisa."
- ^ Jewish Bulletin of Northern California: "After Winningham observed her first Yom Kippur that year, she knew she had to convert, and did so March 3, 2003, accompanied by an entourage of friends and relatives."
- ^ Jewish Baseball Players
- ^ Entertainment Weekly
- ^ NIH Profile
- ^ http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0748-0814(1989)7%3A1%3C247%3AFMTJCE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=SdwbFx9Dz8EC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=Mary+Doria+Russell+atheist+convert+to+judaism&source= web&ots=B3k3Y1x-zr&sig=V-x23lDfFw5fBjbJIhLQb1jJsEs
- ^ j. – Actress-singer Mare Winningham an unlikely Jewish soul
- ^ Actress Mare Winningham Sings a "Convert's Jig"
- ^ Iranian Muslim converts to Judaism
- ^ "A Martyr from Lebanon: Life in the Shadow of Danger"
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia "He was by birth a Gentile from Pontus, and is said by Epiphanius to have been a connection by marriage of the emperor Hadrian and to have been appointed by him about the year 128 to an office concerned with the rebuilding of Jerusalem as "Ælia Capitolina." At some unknown age he joined the Christians, but afterward left them and became a proselyte to Judaism."
- ^ Fordham University
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia "If the contradictory and sometimes legendary accounts of the personality of Dhu Nuwas given by the Arabian writers can be trusted, he was not a Jew by birth, but embraced Judaism after ascending the throne, taking the name of "Joseph."
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia "Obadiah was a proselyte of Edomite origin."
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ BBC
- ^ (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities xx. 7, § 3
- ^ Columbia Encyclopedia