Why Blog

I find myself in a very interesting position. I am not familiar with many LDS members who grew up in Israel, or with Israeli background. My disconnect with my birth religion stems from the fact that I always had a problem with the term "Jewish".

When people refer to someone being "Jewish", they are mingling two concepts: Religion and Origin (or Ancestry). I much prefer using different terms for these, which the English language allows, but Hebrew does not. In English I would use "Jew" to describe someone who descended from the tribe of Judah, vs. "Jewish" to describe someone who follows the Jewish faith (Judaism). In Hebrew these are both "יהודי".

I never viewed myself as "Jewish", and so long as I was living and Israel, with Hebrew as my main means of communication, I could not distinguish myself from the Jewish faith. I ended up defining myself as a "Hebrew" "עברי", which managed to confuse everybody and create a very interesting topic of conversation.


Once I found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and recognized it for what it is - a direct descendant of the faith of Israel in the time of the Old Testament, I could not resist. I also can't resist the call for opening other people's eyes  to the path our faith has traveled.

I spoke with several people about my desire to serve others by offering my backgraound and my somewhat unique view of life and the church. One of them suggested a Blog, which will allow anyone who is searching for answers to be exposed to my story and ongoing experiences. So here it is.


As for the name? I met with a member of the church who converted from Judaism. She was born Jewish, here in the USA, but found her way to the church in her own amazing story. When we spoke I described my background and the confusion due to the duality of Religion/Ancestry. I then mentioned what made me join the church and said that I do not see myself simply as a "Latter Day Saint", but rather as a "Letter Day Jew".


TOTD: You  should always remember where you come from, so you will know how to get back there when the time is right.