A Journey of Faith

Florida Today

Dinah Camilleri with Rabbi Zvi Konikov at Chabad of the Space Coast.

Sunday, just before sundown, Dinah Miriam Camilleri will stroll into a beachside synagogue, stand among Jewish worshipers and immerse herself in an ancient faith far removed from her Catholic upbringing.

With each staccato blast of the ram’s horn during the Rosh Hashana, or New Year, service, the 24-year-old Florida Tech psychology student travels from the Masses of her youth into a religion that sanctifies time, speaks life to ancient prayers and insists on repentance.

“For me, it’s like a reunion. They say when you convert, you get a new Jewish soul,” Camilleri said, recounting how the tenets of Judaism, from sabbath observance to keeping kosher, all speak volumes to her soul.

“It’s similar to Rosh Hashana. You’re starting off in a new direction. With Rosh Hashana, it’s also like a new beginning, a time to reflect on the past, all you did and to prepare for a new year,” she said.

Rosh Hashana starts at sundown Sunday and marks the Jewish New Year, a time of introspection that draws worshipers across the globe into synagogues. The two-day holiday begins a solemn 10-day period ending with the fast of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Rabbi Zvi Konikov of Chabad of the Space and Treasure Coast in Satellite Beach points out that Rosh Hashana and conversion — the changing from one religious belief to another — share similar themes of turning back to God and personal renewal. Several on the Space Coast have taken the journey to convert or are in the process.

Making a change

This holy day season, Yaakov Parisi, a former evangelical Christian pastor, will talk about why he left Christ for Judaism. The Jerusalem resident will speak at the Chabad center during Yom Kippur, Sept. 25 and 26.

Parisi’s soul searching is familiar to Pat Greeley, a member of Temple Beth Sholom in Melbourne. Greeley also longed for a deeper connection to God and began her journey toward Judaism two decades before embracing the faith completely in 1999.

“I think it was God that attracted me to it,” the former Catholic said. “Conversion for me was like a freedom, everything was OK between me and God. But make sure this is what you want to do. Don’t take it lightly.”

Converts come from all backgrounds and are considered fully Jewish if they undergo a formal conversion supervised by a Beit Din, or a religious court of judgment, Konikov said.

Konikov said the path to conversion is difficult and is not readily encouraged. Rabbis quickly separate the intellectually curious from those seeking life-changing answers.

“A lot of time you have converts who are essentially wrestling with themselves. Today, you find that there is a tremendous trend in people who are wanting to get closer to the Bible or are ringing our phone to find that Jewish perspective,” Konikov said.

Journey of self-discovery

Camilleri first felt the inward pull toward Judaism as a child and has been undergoing the conversion process for the past four years.

“I always felt Jewish ever since I was little … I can’t explain it,” Camilleri said. Her father was a non-observant Jew and her mother a Catholic from Spain who kept unusual Jewish traditions, including lighting candles on Friday night — something Jews who observe the sabbath do each week. Camilleri said she the believes the customs go back to the Marranos, Spanish Jews forced to convert to Catholicism during the religious persecution of the 14th century Inquisition. Camilleri’s mother first was confused about her daughter’s pursuit but has since accepted her decision. “She was a little bit hurt, but now she’s cool with it,” the doctoral student said.

Camilleri now observes the Sabbath, and even moved some 40 minutes away from Florida Tech’s campus to get an apartment so she could walk to the Chabad center without violating the holy day’s prohibitions against driving. She said she looks forward to being with the congregation on Sunday for the holiday.

“I will be there dipping apples and honey,” Camilleri said. “I am definitely rejoining the stream.”

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