Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: North Star with Ellin Bessner
Episode: Jewish conversions are still rising in Canada. Why? The answer might surprise you
Description: On the evening of June 1, a synagogue in Mississauga, Ont., will officially welcome nine new members of the Jewish faith, during Shavuot services. The conversion candidates have been studying for months, having undergone ritual baths and—in some cases—symbolic circumcisions, all to join the Tribe. The timing of the ceremony for these “Jews by choice” harkens back to the Biblical story we read on Shavuot about Ruth, a Moabite woman who joined the Israelites through marriage, and whose descendants included King David and Jesus Christ.
For months, Canadian rabbis of all denominations have been reporting heightened levels of interest...