Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Major/Program
Religious Studies
First Advisor's Name
Tudor Parfitt
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee chair
Second Advisor's Name
Oren Stier
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Third Advisor's Name
Carlos Grenier
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee member
Keywords
Jewish identity, religious conversion, pandemic
Date of Defense
3-30-2022
Abstract
March 2020 saw a stark change to daily life and religious practices for many individuals because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those converting to Judaism, or in the process of wanting to convert, found themselves physically isolated from their Jewish communities. This thesis dives into what aspects are important when creating a Jewish identity and how individuals circumnavigate these changes in crisis. Through the use of qualitative interviews this thesis illuminates the many different changes and experiences that individuals went through converting to Judaism during the COVID-19 pandemic. I bring many different groups for comparisons including different branches within Judaism and ethnic backgrounds. Findings suggest that the pandemic has effected the method of conversion as technology has been incorporated into several aspects. It has also affected the Jewish identity of those converting as COVID-19, and the crisis surrounding it, has been at the forefront of these individuals mind. Finally, due to the new found accessibility from the incorporation of technology, individuals who could not convert before are now able to do so. Therefore, changing the new faces of Judaism.
Identifier
FIDC010681
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Davide, Victoria, "Jewish Conversion during the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4989.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4989
Included in
Gender and Sexuality Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Religion Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons
Rights Statement
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