“There is an idea in Judaism that converts’ souls were at Sinai with our Jewish ancestors. Our souls were destined for the Torah. So, even though we aren’t born into Jewish families, our souls find their way back to the community through conversion. It has remained the explanation that comes closest to getting at the truth about Jewish conversion from my perspective: the decision to convert is born in one’s heart and soul rather than one’s head. Conversion feels like an innate idea that, once awakened, refuses to go away.
- excerpt from Since Sinai

In her small Detroit suburb, Catholicism was all Shannon Gonyou knew. She tried to be a good Catholic, following the rules and doing good deeds, but something never felt right. What she believed in her soul and what she saw reflected in the people around her just wasn’t lining up.

In college, hoping to finally find peers in her faith, Shannon looped into the Rock Band Church. The church promised messages of hope and joyful noise, yet they left her feeling one mistake away from damnation and rejection.

She had questions, and she knew the answers she sought weren’t going to be found in her parish. She stepped outside her comfort zone and sought the answers elsewhere. When she learned more about Judaism, things began to click into place. Everything she had been struggling with seemed simpler, familiar.  

The more she learned about Judaism, the more she wanted to know. Surprising both herself and innumerable loved ones, she quickly found herself yearning to convert.

In this book, Shannon is trying to answer the question everyone has been asking: Why? Why did you decide to convert?

Faith, however, is highly personal; there isn’t always going to be a clear why. This refreshing book is not about Judaism as the end all be all of religions. It is about the human drive to belong and feel fulfilled, no matter our beliefs.

“a parable for the ways love surprises us as we learn to know God by different names” - Rev. Benjamin Barry, Middle Church, New York

Shannon Gonyou is a Jewish writer and practicing attorney. She grew up in Detroit, Michigan and has since moved to New York with her family. She is affiliated with the Conservative Jewish Movement. 

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