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This article endeavours to list some notable people who have converted, or are believed to have converted, to Judaism. Their notability is based either on outside endeavors for otherwise famous people, or on circumstances which would make their conversion itself to be notable -- such as professional clergy from other religions. The 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

Although some people notable for arts or sciences have happened to convert to Judaism, there is a small group of people who are notable because they have converted to Judaism: professional clergy from other religions. In some cases conversion meant persecution or even death. In other cases conversion simply meant a change in career.

Christian Proselyte Communities

Former Christian clergy and Christian theologians

Former Christian clergy and Christian theologians (1970s to present)

  • Asher Wade an ex-Methodist pastor; he converted after studying the history of the holocaust in 1978 to Orthodox Judaism. Official Website
  • 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 to Orthodox Judaism. Official book[26][27]
  • Geza Vermes, expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls and former Catholic priest, he reverted to Judaism. [28]
  • JoAnn Fay, a nun converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1980.[29]
  • John David Scalamonti, a former Roman Catholic priest, he converted in 1972 to Orthodox Judaism Official book at Amazon.comOfficial book at Barnes and Noble[30]
  • John Hove, a former Lutheran pastor, he converted to Orthodox Judaism in 1988.[31]
  • Yaakov Parisi, Former Christian Minister from Oklahoma (who was born Roman Catholic).[32]
  • Sheldon Christopher Smith, a former Pentecostal Pastor converted to Judaism in 1987[33]
  • Thomas Roper, an ex-Baptist minister, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.[34]
  • Gavriel Sanders former Pentecostal minister and missionary in Israel, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.[35] He served on staff with Jews for Judaism before moving to the East Coast.
  • Tonica Marlow, a former female evangelical minister and daughter of a Pentecostal preacher. She converted to Orthodox Judaism.Official book[36]
  • Aharón Calderón, a former monk of a Catholic monastery in South America, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.[37]
  • Armando Quiros, a former catholic priest, he converted to Orthodox Judaism. Official book[38]
  • Julie Galambush, a former American Baptist Minister, she converted to Judaism.[39]
  • Michael Flanagan, a former Baptist minister, his mother-in-law, wife and their two adult sons, grandchildren, daughter-in-law also converted to Orthodox Judaism.[40]
  • Ahuva Gray served as a Christian minister in the African American community both in Chicago and Los Angeles for fourteen years. She left that world in 1996 to fulfill her spiritual yearnings and become an Orthodox Jew.Official Website Official book[41]
  • Nobutaka Hattori, a former Protestant Minister of Japan, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.[42]
  • Carlos Samuel Salas, a former Methodist minister, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.[43][44]
  • David N. Weiss Former Presbyterian lay minister David Weiss (born Jewish) returned to Judaism and is now a successful writer living in Los Angeles. [45]
  • Abraham Carmel, a former Anglican and Roman Catholic priest, he converted to Orthodox Judaism.Official book[46][47]
  • Mariano Otero, a former South Florida-based former Pentecostal minister is now a counter-missionary[48]
  • Timothy Olivieri Former Catholic Deacon to Reform Judaism
  • Jack Saunders, a former minister [49]
  • Carole Le Faivre-Rochester, a former Domican nun, she converted to Judaism in 1989[50]
  • William G. Dever, a former evangelical minister, he converted to Judaism and became a world-renowned Biblical scholar[51]
  • Yaakov Ephraim Parisi, former Pentecostal minister[52][53]
  • Ary'el Tsion, formerly known as Bert Woudwijk, a Messianic pastor from Holland[54]
  • Leon Fundo, former Seventh Day Adventist preacher [55]
  • Moriya Webster, former Worldwide Church of God pastor [56]
  • Dov Heller, former Minister and missionary[57]
  • Benjamin Klugger, former Pentecostal missionary, now Orthodox Jew and head of counter-missionary organization
  • Paul Tan, a former evangelical minister in Singapore, is moving towards Judaism with members of his congregation
  • Julius Ciss, former messianic Jewish missionary
  • Hector Flores, a former evangelical minister, converted with 100 members of his Houston church
  • George Belloni, former editor of Messianic Times, returned to Judaism
  • Samuel Golding, former Christian minister
  • Kenneth Cox, former Catholic Priest
  • Skipp Porteous, former Pentecostal minister
  • Penina Taylor, a former messianic Jewish leader
  • Shmuel Yakobi, a former Indian preacher [58]
  • Barrie Wilson, biblical scholar, author and educator
  • Lawrence Hamilton, former Lutheran minister [59]
  • Celia Futch-Rogow, former Methodist minister [60]
  • Efraim Uba, was raised Catholic, later became a Messianic cleric in Nigeria, and then later left that Christian sect to convert to Judaism.[61]

Of Jewish descent

This section is for people who had Jewish ancestry though not matrilineally as is required by Jewish law to be considered Jewish, and so converted to Judaism, to be recognized as Jews.

Other Christians who converted to Judaism

List of converts to Judaism not from Christianity

From Atheism or Agnosticism

  • Christian B. Anfinsen, Nobel prize-winning chemist (Orthodox Judaism)[119]
  • Will Herberg, known as a social philosopher and sociologist of religion, as well as a Jewish theologian, he is also former atheist and Marxist of Jewish ancestry who was raised atheist[120]
  • Benny Lévy - Philosopher and last personal secretary of Jean-Paul Sartre
  • Suzy Menkes, fashion journalist
  • Hilary Putnam - Philosopher raised in a Jewish-atheist home
  • Eliyahu Rips - he is a member of the Department of Mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Rips received the Erdős prize from the Israel Mathematical Society in 1979 and was a sectional speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1994. He embraced Orthodox Judaism.
  • Mary Doria Russell[121]
  • Mare Winningham[122][123]

From Black Hebrew Israelitism

From Buddhism

  • Yitzhak Fanger, a former Secular Jew, who was also a Buddhist Priest and Monk underwent the act of repentance and is now a Haredi rabbi.[124]

From Islam


From Paganism

From Samaritanism

From Shinto

Undetermined former religion

Converts who later left the faith or were expelled

See also

References

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