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Not Always for Marriage
Recently, while standing in the buffet line at a friend's wedding, I struck up a conversation with a woman standing behind me. Somewhere in line, between the salad and the pasta stations, Karen revealed her personal Jewish journey to me.
Raised as a lapsed Catholic by a single mother, she grew up with many Jewish friends. She learned the hora at their bar and bat mitzvahs, played wingman at BBYO dances and went to the prom with a Jewish boy. When she went to college, Karen pledged a predominately Jewish sorority and went with her Jewish roomates to Shabbat dinners at Hillel. By the time she graduated from college, Karen had acquired a breadth of understanding and a sincere connection to Judaism. She formally converted several years later.
What surprised me most about Karen's story was that her conversion wasn't motivated by an impending marriage (as had the bride whose wedding we were attending). Instead, it was a choice she made for herself while in college. It challenged my thinking about the role of Hillel on campus. As I spoke to students and campus rabbis about conversion, I began to wonder if Hillel is more than a resource and a space for Jewish college students, but rather a place where all students can find Judaism and Jewish life.
Suzanne Kurtz
Editor, Hillel Campus Report
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