Abstract
This article analyses the experiences of Dutch women who became Jewish via
a giyur process. While the past decade has seen an increased interest in the ethnographic study of women’s conversion, little is known about the process of giyur from a gender and everyday perspective, which is what this article focuses on. This is based on ethnographic research and interviews with 20 (Orthodox and non-Orthodox) converts. The main focus of this article is on the negotiations of gender and power in the process of giyur. The role of gender difference seemed to be one of the most important experienced differences between Orthodox and Liberal/Progressive forms of Jewish life. Not only is there an impact in the decision to join one or another community, but notions of gender and sexuality also influence the whole process of giyur, from first attraction to continued learning, implementation, and practicing of a “Jewish life.” Women have to deal with the power of the rabbinic court, who eventually can decide whether a candidate is allowed to become Jewish. However, questions of authority and individual choice played a role in different gendered areas as well: the position of women in the synagogue, reflections on the impact of relationships and the implementation of certain commandments in their everyday lives. Analysing these dynamics offers insight into the intersections of gender, power and conversion, as well as the role of gender in contemporary Jewry
a giyur process. While the past decade has seen an increased interest in the ethnographic study of women’s conversion, little is known about the process of giyur from a gender and everyday perspective, which is what this article focuses on. This is based on ethnographic research and interviews with 20 (Orthodox and non-Orthodox) converts. The main focus of this article is on the negotiations of gender and power in the process of giyur. The role of gender difference seemed to be one of the most important experienced differences between Orthodox and Liberal/Progressive forms of Jewish life. Not only is there an impact in the decision to join one or another community, but notions of gender and sexuality also influence the whole process of giyur, from first attraction to continued learning, implementation, and practicing of a “Jewish life.” Women have to deal with the power of the rabbinic court, who eventually can decide whether a candidate is allowed to become Jewish. However, questions of authority and individual choice played a role in different gendered areas as well: the position of women in the synagogue, reflections on the impact of relationships and the implementation of certain commandments in their everyday lives. Analysing these dynamics offers insight into the intersections of gender, power and conversion, as well as the role of gender in contemporary Jewry
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 129-151 |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Contemporary Jewry |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 22 Dec 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2024 |
Funding
The manuscript is based on chapter two of my unpublished PhD dissertation, titled Questioning the Conversion Paradox: Gender, Sexuality, and Belonging amongst Women Becoming Jewish, Christian, and Muslim in the Netherlands, defended at Utrecht University and (in a joint doctorate)\u00A0Ghent University\u00A0on 20 September 2022.\u00A0I wish to thank Anne-Marie Korte, Katja Rakow and Chia Longman and the anonymous reviewers\u00A0for their feedback on earlier versions of this text. The research of which this article is a result was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) under grant no. 360\u201325-170. The preparation of the manuscript was funded by the NWO grant VI.Vidi.191.078.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | 360–25-170, VI.Vidi.191.078 |
| Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek |