CONVERSION | PERSONAL STATEMENTS

CONVERSION | PERSONAL STATEMENTS | VALERIE JONES

Valerie Jones

When I was in the 8th grade the neighborhood car pool was driven by a rabbi. He was the father of a friend of mine. One day during the drive to school, I remember the rabbi explaining the purpose of Yom Kippur and although I did not understand much of what he was saying, I never forgot the look on his daughter’s face as he spoke. It was a look of understanding, a look of pride – but above all it was a look of awe; of having touched upon something that had profound meaning to her. I have never forgotten that look and I see it in my mind even as I stand here.

We are the stories that we tell and I picked this story of the rabbi’s daughter because it shows that we influence people through the slightest of gestures, the smallest expressions of wonder and these things can be everlasting in the hearts of others in way that we could never have anticipated.

Judaism’s emphasis on exactly this awareness of how we influence others and all the mitzvoth that come from it is why I chose Judaism. Judaism’s way of expressing these values in everyday living makes my life richer, more thoughtful, and more connected to all those I love. It makes me stop and think about the way I am living and gives me new ways to consider myself and what I want from this life. At the best moments, it’s like having a wise teacher at my shoulder telling me how to be myself – my best self.