"It seemed the best time to become truly Jewish." Converts to Judaism spurred by Oct. 7 attack on Israel

 

Since Oct. 7, 2023, there has been an upsurge in antisemitism in Canada and around the world. But that hasn’t stopped some people from converting to Judaism. In fact, it has spurred some people to make the decision to convert. 

This includes Miriam Taylor-Pirogov (photo above), who was raised by a Jewish mother and attended a Winnipeg synagogue—but who never joined the Jewish faith. 

For her, the Hamas attack on Israel on was an awakening. The attack made her think it was time to go all-in. “I decided it was time to seize the day. It seemed the best time to become truly Jewish,” she said. 

Rabbi Kliel Rose has seen the new interest in converting since Oct. 7 first hand; it comes up frequently in conversation with people wanting to convert. 

“One man said he had thought for a long time about converting, then Oct. 7 pushed him into it,” he said. It was similar for a woman who is married to a Jewish man. “There was no pressure on her to convert, but she decided she had to do it after Oct. 7,” he said, adding a third person mentioned that date as an impetus for converting. 

Read my story about conversion to Judaism since Oct. 7 in the Free Press.

When election time comes, will Canadian Christians remember "the least of these?"

 

Reading about the Trump administration’s cuts foreign aid, putting the lives of what Jesus called “the least of these” in danger, Canadian Christians might be tempted to be smug. Surely we wouldn't do that here!

But before they get too high-minded, those Christians should remember that the leader of one federal party has pledged “massive” cuts to Canadian foreign aid if he is elected prime minister. It could happen here, depending on the outcome of the next election.

So, when election time comes, will Christians in Canada think of the least of these when they mark their ballots? It's going to be interesting to see what happens. 

Read my column in the Free Press.

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Impact of the pandemic, five years later: Scholars of religion weigh in

Five years ago in late February, I wrote in the Free Press about a mysterious new virus that was ravaging China. (I was ahead of the curve for once!)

“God full of compassion and mercy, we lay prostrate before you,” I quoted a pastor in that country as saying.

“Wuhan and the surrounding cities have now been closed, and the spread of the virus has exceeded our capacity. The city is surrounded by the shadow of death. We, the covenant people who have received great grace, cry out to You.”

Back then, it all felt so far away and remote, a problem for people in another country. 

But before long we were all living in that reality as Canada, along with most of the rest of the world, shut down due to the pandemic a month later. 

In spring 2021, at the height of the pandemic, I reached out to scholars of religion asking them what they thought religion might look like in Canada when the emergency was over. They talked about how things like how attendance would fall and online would grow. 

Last month I went back to them to see if they still stood by what they said. Spoiler alert: They did. 

Click here to read my column.

God's mercy wide enough for all, including LGBTTQ+, esteemed conservative scholar says in new book

 

Since the mid-1990s, opposition to same-sex relationships in most North American evangelical churches, and many other Protestant denominations, has been informed by the work of theologian and scholar Richard B. Hays. 

Hays, the former dean of Duke Divinity School, was author of the widely influential 1996 book The Moral Vision of the New Testament. In it, he argued that same-sex relationships were “one among many tragic signs that we are a broken people, alienated from God’s loving purpose.” 

His scholarly work was used by many church leaders as justification for seeing same-sex relationships as sinful and to oppose affirmation of LGBTTQ+ Christians. 

So it was like an earthquake in many congregations across the U.S. and Canada when Hays publicly changed his mind on this topic. 

Hays, who died on Jan. 3 of cancer at the age of 76, made his case for welcoming LGBTTQ+ people into the family of God in his newest and last book, titled The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story. 

Read my column about Hays and his change of mind in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Everyone in Canada is talking about Trump's tariffs. What about religious leaders?

 

Politicians are talking about it. So are entertainers, comedians and the media. Even hockey fans are sharing their feelings about Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada when they boo the U.S. national anthem at hockey games. 

Everyone is talking about it, it seems — in coffee shops, stores, workplaces, you name it. What about in places of worship? 

That was the question on my mind as I saw the crescendo of conversation rise in Canada over the first few weeks of Trump’s presidency. In particular, I wondered what local clergy are saying about it to their members. I reached out to some for their thoughts. 

Read those thoughts in my latest Free Press column.

Antisemitism and other hate on the rise online: Researcher

When a Jewish school is shot at in Canada, it makes the news. So does an arson attack on a synagogue, or graffiti spray painted on Jewish-owned buildings. 

When those things happen, police, governments and the media all leap into action — as they should. Acts of hate against Jews, against Muslims, or against any group need to be called out and firmly addressed. 

But almost nothing is done about another form of hate that comes directly into our homes on a regular basis: online hate. And that concerns Andre Oboler, CEO of Australia’s Online Hate Prevention Institute. 

Prior to 2008, before social media, this form of online hate “did not exist because the platforms did not exist,” he said. “But it’s a different world today.” 

Through the institute, Oboler tracks online hate directed at Jews and other groups. Since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, the Institute has seen a 400 per cent rise in antisemitism on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and others. 

The biggest increases are in the platforms dominated by the far right, he said. “But it is growing everywhere.”

Read more in my recent Free Press column.

Your invitation to support faith coverage at the Winnipeg Free Press

If you think stories about religion should be reported by the media, here’s your chance to make sure that continues to happen at the Winnipeg Free Press.

 

The Free Press is the only major daily media outlet in Canada that still has a faith beat—and I am the only faith reporter in the country.

 

The beat is made possible by support from faith groups in Winnipeg that support the Religion in the News project at the Free Press—founded in 2019 to make sure stories about faith were reported by the newspaper.

 

Since that time, over 850 articles about faith in the province have been produced, along with 250 columns.

 

Along with support from faith groups, people like you are invited to make contributions to the project! You can ensure the paper can continue to report about faith by making a contribution of $25, $50 or more at the Religion in the News support page at the Free Press. (Note: Contributions are not tax deductible.)  

 

You can support this coverage even if you don’t live in Winnipeg—all stories are free to read on the Free Press website (along with religion stories from across Canada and around the world).

 

In case you are wondering what kinds of stories about faith are published by the Free Press, here’s a list from January:

 

·       ‘Gaza, but in slower motion’: Local Mennonites share about visit to West Bank

·       Federal committee urges end to tax deductions for places of worship

·       ‘Hate goes viral’: CMHR talk to focus on rising antisemitism

·       Indigenous, Muslim conference delves into colonization, racism

·       2025 marks the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism

·       Mosque becomes a reality for Morden’s Muslim families

·       Let’s live peacefully and meaningfully together in this land

·       Winnipeg Roman Catholic archbishop retires

·       From Ten Commandments to Synod on Synodality, it was quite a year

·       Sikh community builder to receive interfaith award

·       Spiritual care providers at personal care homes serve residents’ spiritual needs

·       Interfaith outreach program brings Winnipeggers together

·      Winnipeg festival to celebrate history, significance of Yiddish language

 

Thanks for supporting Religion in the News!