Proponents of this Jewish community of ours love the word “vibrant.” Love it. Can’t use it enough. (Trust us — we take notes.)
Alternate words that, mercifully, could be employed include: vigorous, energetic, exciting and stimulating. Just a thought.
But while “vibrant” may be overused as an adjective, it is not misused. We really are fortunate to live in this vibr … uh, stimulating Jewish community.
And sometimes we need to take a step back and appreciate that.
On Tuesday, July 31, a group of local Jews carried out a ritual that may have been performed last when the Yorkists and Lancastrians were fighting out an upper-class English gang battle called the War of the Roses and Christopher Columbus’ voyage was decades in the future.
For the first time since 1465, Karaite Jews held a conversion ceremony.
Last time it involved a group of Spanish Christians converting to Judaism in a Cairo shul. This time it took place on a chilly night in Daly City.
The Karaites, a 1,400-year-old sect tracing its roots to Persia, number about 30,000 to 40,000 worldwide. In 1991, 25,000 lived in Israel.
Locally, the community has a 200-family synagogue in Daly City. And Tuesday night’s conversion ceremony, recounted in this week’s cover story, was every bit as fascinating as one would expect of a unique group with a distinct perception of what is and isn’t kosher (literally).
The 14 former Christians who made their way to the San Francisco suburb came from far (Perth, Australia) and near (Sacramento). The Australian couple actually don’t even hail from Perth but near Perth. Another couple came from New Mexico — the gentleman even sported a bolo tie. One of the Karaites-by-choice will return to Tennessee and immediately become the only Karaite in the Volunteer State.
We could go on (and there’s plenty more Karaite gold in the cover story). But the point is: Amazing things are happening here. It’s not every day that groups of Jews decide to toss 542 years of tradition by the wayside and stage a conversion. That this could happen on a Tuesday shows you just never know what sorts of things this Jewish community is capable of — or who will show up for them.
All in all, it’s an interesting place to hang your hat. You could even call it vibrant, if you must.
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California