Beliefs & Traditions

Can you be Jewish and believe in Jesus? Discover Julia’s powerful three-year journey through identity, biblical prophecy, and finding unexpected peace.

So, it turns out I’m a liar. To you, dear reader—but mostly to myself. Not an earth-shattering lie, nothing scandalous… just the realization that I’m not quite who I thought I was. After a great exchange with friends (and if you haven’t read it yet, see Zero Gods, Four Voices: Exploring Jewish Atheist and Secular Identity), a little red flag emerged.

The most beautiful concept I discovered while converting and living in Israel was the power of Shabbat, specifically Friday night. Depending on the family and the moment, it could feel like anything from a simple weekly gathering to a solemn kind of communion. In my in-laws’ home, it often shifted between the two, shaped by the mood and the week behind us. But to get to Friday night dinner, we had to go through the week.

I sat at my laptop and hit “Send,” feeling like a total intruder. Yes, they had agreed—but still. Here I was, a convert nudnikit (AKA totally annoying), emailing questions about God to people who had been Jewish their whole lives and hadn’t thought about Him in years—or ever. Why bother these kind-hearted people? I wanted to clear up a common question many non-Jews have: How can someone be Jewish and an atheist? It sounds like a contradiction—but it isn’t.

When I was five, my mother invited a nun into our home for “the talk.” I don’t know where she got the idea from. I was an active child and all I wanted was to be climbing our one tree or bouncing on the sofa. Alas, my mother made me sit and listen to this woman she introduced as Nun Something. I wasn’t thrilled. Her long gray dress, strange white cape, and the way she stood with her hands clasped over her stomach didn’t help. My mother stood by the doorway, watching nervousl