List of converts to Judaism

This article lists nations, groups or tribes, as well as individual people, who have converted to Judaism and have a Wikipedia article about them. This article does not differentiate between the different branches of Judaism. See also Who is a Jew? on issues related to the acceptance of conversions throughout the Jewish community.

(A number of prominent figures, such as Madonna, Demi Moore, have recently become followers of "new age" version of Kabbalah, derived from the body of Jewish mystical teaching also called Kabbalah, but do not consider themselves – and are not considered – Jewish.^[1])

Converted nations, groups or tribes

Converted nations, groups or tribes from Christianity

• Abayudaya^[2]
• Bnei Menashe^[3]
• Bene Ephraim Claim to be Jews who converted to Christianity, then converted back to Judaism ^[4]
• B'nai Moshe (Inca Jews) ^[5]
• San Nicandro Jews ^[6]
• Subbotniks
• Veracruz Jews ^[7]

Other converted nations, groups or tribes

• Idumeans (Edom, 2nd century BCE, conquered and converted by John Hyrcanus)
  • Obadiah the prophet, from a Mideastern religion^[8]
• Ituraeans (Lebanon and Syria, 2nd century BCE, conquered and converted by John Hyrcanus)
• Adiabene (northern Iraq, 1st century)
  • Helena, queen of Adiabene, from traditional Greek religion.
  • Izates bar Monobaz, king of Adiabene, from a Persian or Mideastern religion.
  • Symacho, wife of Izates bar Monobaz, from a Persian or Mideastern religion.
  • Monobaz II, king of Adiabene, from a Persian or Mideastern religion.
• Nabataeans, many were forcefully converted by the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus
• Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia (historical Khazaria), many of whom converted to Judaism en masse in the 8th and 9th Centuries CE from a Khazar religion.
  • Bulan, king of the Khazars, from traditional Khazar religion ^[9]
• Himyarite Kingdom (Yemen, 6th century)
  • Tub'a Abu Kariba As'ad, from Arabian religion, was the Himyarite king of Yemen. He ruled Yemen from 390–420 CE.
  • Dhu Nuwas, king of Yemen, from a Mideastern religion ^[10]
• Kingdom of Semien (Ethiopia, 4th century)
• Tribe of Kahina (Northwest Africa, 7th century, disputed)

Converted individuals

From Christianity

Former Christian clergy/theologians

• Nicolas Antoine, French-Christian Protestant theologian
• William G. Dever, former evangelical minister who converted to Judaism and became a world-renowned Biblical scholar
• Ahuva Gray, former Protestant Minister
• Asher Wade, former Methodist Minister
• Ole Brunell, former Lutheran Minister. Shlomo Ben Avraham "Ole" Brunell, former Lutheran minister from Finland and Australia. Along with him, his wife Ruth (formerly Runa), two adult daughters, two teenage daughters, and a former son-in-law also converted.[68]

Other Christians who converted to Judaism

• Abraham ben Abraham, convert from the Potocki family, the famed "Ger Tzedek"
• Aluizio Abranches, Brazilian filmmaker
• Moses ben Avraham Avinu
• Aquila of Sinope, Bible translator^[11]
• Tom Arnold, actor^[12]
• Rafael Cansinos Assens, Spanish poet, essayist, literary critic and translator
• Abraham of Augsburg
• Carroll Baker, American actress
• Elizabeth Banks, American actress (Banks has stated that she studied with rabbis, and practices Judaism, though "I did not have my mikveh, so technically I’m not converted", and added, "Frankly, because I’m already doing everything [practicing religious rituals], I feel like I’m as Jewish as I’m ever going to be".)^[13][14]
• Anne Beatts, American comedy writer
• Polly Bergen, American actress and singer
• Dany Boon, French comedian^[15]
• Elizabeth Brewster, Canadian poet^[16]
• May Britt, actress^[17]
• Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning Australian-American journalist and author
• Campbell Brown, American television news reporter (lapsed Roman Catholic)
• Drew Bundini Brown, assistant trainer of former heavyweight boxing champion, Muhammad Ali
• Sarah Brown, actress^[18]
• Ken Burgess, musician
• Eddie Butler, Israeli singer
• Anne Buydens, German-American producer, wife of Kirk Douglas
• Yisrael Campbell, comedian (lapsed Roman Catholic)
• Kate Capshaw, actress (ex-Methodist)^[19]
• Abraham Carmel, ex-Roman Catholic priest^[20]
• Nell Carter, singer and actress^[21]
• Elizabeth Jane Caulfield, linguist and musician
• Connie Chung, American television journalist^[22][23]
• Warder Cresson, politician
• Jim Croce, singer/songwriter^[24]
• William Holmes Crosby, Jr., physician, considered one of the founders of modern hematology
• Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer^[25]
  

  Sammy Davis, Jr., entertainer who converted during recovery from an automobile accident
• Zooey Deschanel, actress, singer, entrepreneur
• Natalie Dessay, French soprano
• William G. Dever, archaeologist^[26]
• Jacqueline du Pré, cellist^[27]
• Patricia Duff, political activist and United States Democratic Party fundraiser
• Hank Eng, Chinese-American politician^[28]
• Miss Elizabeth, also known as Elizabeth Ann Hulette, was a U.S. professional wrestling manager.
• Isla Fisher, model and actress^[29] (ex-Methodist)^[30]
• Luke Ford, journalist^[31]
• Maureen Forrester, Canadian opera singer
• Aaron Freeman, journalist and comedian (lapsed Roman Catholic)^[32]
• Capers Funnye, (ex-Methodist)
• Natan Gamedze, former Protestant, linguist and a Swazi royal, now a black Haredi rabbi.^[33][34]
• Scott Glenn, American actor
• Lord George Gordon, nobleman and politician^[35]
• Reuben Greenberg, police chief of Charleston, South Carolina.^[36]
• Lars Gustafsson, Swedish professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas ^[37]
• Daryl Hall, musician
• Mary Hart (* 1950) American television personality, long-time host of the entertainment program Entertainment Tonight^[38]
• Anthony Heald, American actor
• Carolivia Herron, writer of children's and adult literature^[39]
• Monica Horan, actress ^[22]
• Joel Horlen^[40][41]
• Carolyn Jones, actress^[22][42]
• Thomas Jones (lapsed Roman Catholic)
• Jon Juaristi, Spanish writer ^[43]
• Semei Kakungulu
• Felicity Kendal, British actress^[44]
• Cameron Kerry, politician, brother of John Kerry (lapsed Roman Catholic)^[45]
• Jamaica Kincaid, author^[46]
• John King, American television journalist (lapsed Roman Catholic)
• Mathilde Krim, Ph.D., founding Chairman of amfAR, a well-known association for AIDS research.
• Lenny Kuhr, Dutch singer-songwriter
• Anthony Lake, American diplomat, political figure, and academic
• Dr. Laura, American Radio Personality ^[22]
• Nahida Lazarus, German author, essayist, scholar, and literary critic
• John Lehr, American film and television actor and comedian
• Julius Lester, son of a Methodist minister and a children's author (ex-Methodist)^[47]
• Joan Lunden, American journalist, author and television host
• Elliott Maddox, former Major League Baseball player^[48]
• Richard Marceau, Canadian politician
• Anne Meara (1929-2015), American comedian and actress, partner and wife of Jerry Stiller (lapsed Roman Catholic)^[49]
• Adah Isaacs Menken, stage actress^[50]
• Marilyn Monroe, actress (ex-Christian)^[51]
• Santa Montefiore, novelist^[52]
• Tommy Mottola, American record producer
• Françoise Mouly, French artist, designer, and art editor of The New Yorker
• Jeff Newman (baseball)
• Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and academic^[53]
• Bob Nystrom, former NHL player^[54]
• Lorna Patterson, American film, stage and television actress
• Rebecca Pidgeon, Scottish-American actress, singer and songwriter
• Moses Prado, professor of the classic languages at the University of Marburg
• Helen Reddy, Australian American singer and actress
• Roger Rees, actor
• Abraham Reuel, German, who was a pilot in Hitler army, and who then became a Jew and citizen of Israel ^[55]
• Mandy Rice-Davies, British model and showgirl
• Mary Doria Russell, American author (lapsed Roman Catholic)^[56]
• Jackie Sandler, American actress
• Bärbel Schäfer, German television presenter and talk show host ^[57]
• Norma Shearer, American actress
• Joseph J. Sherman, businessman^[58][59][60]
• Shyne, Belizean–American rapper ^[61]
• Karol Sidon, Czech Orthodox Rabbi, writer and playwright
• Daniel Silva, American author of thriller and espionage novels ^[62]
• Willie "the Lion" Smith, American pianist and composer
• June Squibb, American actress
• Dubrovin Stanislav
• Kim Stanley, American actress ^[63]
• Venetia Stanley, socialite ^[64]
• Joseph Abraham Steblicki (lapsed Roman Catholic)
• Margo Stilley, American film actress^[65]
• Annette Taddeo, businesswoman and politician
• Elizabeth Taylor, actress (ex-Christian Scientist)^[66]
• Karen Tintori, American author of fiction and nonfiction (lapsed Roman Catholic)
• Andre Bernard Tippett, a former American football linebacker for the New England Patriots (ex-Baptist)^[67]
• Jacob Tirado
• Ivanka Trump
• Bob Tufts
• Ike Turner, American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. Son of a Baptist minister
• Chris Van Allsburg, children's writer^[68]
• Conrad Veidt, German actor ^[22]
• Mare Winningham, actress-singer (lapsed Roman Catholic)^[69]
• Jackie Wilson, American soul singer
• Steve Yeager^[70]
• Katarzyna Weiglowa, Polish martyr
• Nikki Ziering, model ^[71]

Not from Christianity

From Atheism or Agnosticism

• Christian B. Anfinsen, Nobel prize-winning chemist (Orthodox Judaism)^[72]
• Will Herberg, known as a social philosopher and sociologist of religion, as well as a Jewish theologian, he is also former atheist and Marxist of Jewish ancestry who was raised atheist^[73]
• Suzy Menkes, fashion journalist
• Hilary Putnam, philosopher raised in a Jewish-atheist home
• Mary Doria Russell^[74]
• Anna Silk, Canadian actress^[75]
• Mare Winningham^[76][77]

From Black Hebrew Israelitism

• Eddie Butler, Israeli singer converted to Orthodox Judaism
• Capers Funnye

From Islam

• Reza Jabari, Iranian^[78]
• Avraham Sinai, Lebanese member of Hezbollah who had an Orthodox conversion and lives as a Haredi Jew in Tsfat^[79]

From Druzism

• Michael Netzer, American comic book artist

From other Middle Eastern religions

• Sh'maya, Sage and President of the Sanhedrin, apparently from a Mideastern religion^[80]
• Avtalyon, Sage and Vice-President of the Sanhedrin, apparently from a Mideastern religion^[81]

From Greco-Roman religion

• Aquila of Sinope (Acylas), from traditional Greek religion^[82]
• Onkelos, Hebrew scholar and translator, from ancient Roman religion^[83]
• Flavia Domitilla, from traditional ancient Roman religion (possibly to Jewish Christianity, as she is also a Christian saint)
• Titus Flavius Clemens (consul), great-nephew of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, from traditional Roman religion (possibly to Jewish Christianity, as he is also a Christian saint)
• Fulvia (wife of Saturninus), wife of Emperor Tiberius' close friend, Saturninus, from traditional Roman religion.
• Paulina Beturia, from traditional Roman religion

From Samaritanism

• Sofi Tzadka

From Shinto

• Setzuso Kotsuji, son of a Shinto priest, and a professor in Japan (converted from Shinto to Christianity and then from Christianity to Judaism)

From Hinduism

List of conversions named in the Bible

• Bithiah, from traditional Egyptian religion
• Jethro, priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses , from a Mideastern religion
• Makeda, queen of Sheba, from a Mideastern or Ethiopian religion^[84]
• Ruth, great-grandmother of King David, from a Near Eastern religion.^[85]
• Osenath, from the Ancient Egyptian religion (her name relates to Anat)
• Zipporah, from a Mideastern or northern African religion
• Yael, from Canaanite or another Near Eastern religion

Undetermined former religion

• Joseph Bánóczi
• Salem Shaloam David
• József Eisenhoffer
• Jamaica Kincaid
• Dara Torres
• Desmond Wilcox
• Andre Williams
• Nachman Fahrner

Converts who later left the faith or were expelled

• Polemon II, king of Cilicia converted to marry the Jewish princess Berenice; later relapsed.^[86]
• Cristian Castro, Grammy Award-nominated Mexican pop singer.^[87] (reverted to Roman Catholicism after divorcing his Jewish wife)
• Uriel da Costa, philosopher shunned for heresy.^[88]

See also

• List of people by belief
• List of Baalei teshuva
• List of Jews
• List of converts to Buddhism
• List of converts to Christianity
• List of people who converted to Catholicism
• List of converts to Hinduism
• List of converts to Islam
• List of converts to Sikhism

References

1. Wall Street Journal 2011
2. A History of the Abuyudaya Jews of Uganda
3. "Rabbi backs India's 'lost Jews'". BBC News. April 1, 2005. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
4. Kulanu: Bene Ephraim of Andhra Pradesh, South India
5. Converting Inca Indians in Peru
6. Judaism – Reflections on Giur
7. Kulanu: Claim Mexico playing host to a Lost Tribe
8. Jewish Encyclopedia "Obadiah was a proselyte of Edomite origin."
9. Fordham University
10. Jewish Encyclopedia "If the contradictory and sometimes legendary accounts of the personality of Dhu Nuwas given by the Arabian writers can be trusted, he was not a Jew by birth, but embraced Judaism after ascending the throne, taking the name of "Joseph."
11. Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, art. Aquila of Sinope
12. IMDB
13. http://www.jewcy.com/religion-and-beliefs/jewish-actress-elizabeth-banks-discusses-her-conversion-with-marc-maron
14. http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_352_-_elizabeth_banks
15. Le Figaro Magazine which states "as though his conversion to Judaism in 2002 had paradoxically made him closer to his Pas-de-Calais roots".
16. Arc Poetry review of "Jacob's Dream" which states "Brewster is fascinated with her newly adopted faith of Judaism—poems about Jewish holy days and heritage are sprinkled throughout"
17. "May Britt Joins Jewish Faith", The New York Times, October 18, 1960, p. 46
18. Q&A with Sarah Brown "Judaism, for me, is more a spiritual thing than a religion, but I feel that I have a Jewish soul. I didn't convert because of my marriage; I just always felt like there was a Jewish soul inside of me just dying to get out."
19. New York Times
20. Onetime Catholic Priest Abraham Carmel Celebrates His 25th Year as An Orthodox Jew : People.com
21. Chicago Sun Times via "Find Articles.": Said of her conversion "I needed to know where God was, and I went back to the basics."
22. Converted to Judaism
23. Happy Birthday, Connie Chung, Award-Winning Journalist
24. Interview with Croce's Cousin http://www.netporch.com/sa/
25. Jewish Virtual Library
26. Shanks, Hershel. "Losing Faith: How Scholarship Affects Scholars". Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 2007.
27. A Publishers Weekly review of Jacqueline Du Pre: A Biography by Carol Easton states she was "the daughter of anti-Semitic parents who herself converted to Judaism and at age 21 married Jewish pianist-conductor Daniel Barenboim."
28. Democratic Convention Notes: Meet Chinese Jewish candidate Hank Eng – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
29. Gensler, Howard (November 27, 2006). "'Borat' to wed Aussie actress Isla Fisher". Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
30. Isla Fisher's wife wish – sofeminine.co.uk
31. Luke Ford, XXX-Communicated: A Rebel Without a Shul. iUniverse, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0-595-66441-5
32. Aaron Freeman's website
33. Natan Gamedze's website
34. Compass: Compass: The Black Jew Of Royal Swaziland – Abc Tv
35. Jewish Encyclopedia
36. The movie Shalom y'all
37. Contemporary Jewish Writing in Sweden – Lars Gustafsson Bio
38. Hart – "Thought there are no Jewish Republicans in show biz? Well, Bush contributors include... host Mary Hart, who’s a convert to Judaism..."
39. Her website
40. Horlen, Joe : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum
41. The Big Book of Jewish Sports People by Peter Horvitz page 53
42. IMDB
43. El Mundo
44. Times Online interview: She says in the interview "I converted to Judaism in 1983. I am not a deeply religious person but it is a vital part of my life. It shapes my beliefs, and how I look at the world."
45. Seattle Times
46. judaism+-wikipedia&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=25 Beth Israel
47. Julis Lester's Home Page
48. Baseball Almanac.com
49. O'Toole, Lesley (December 22, 2006). "Ben Stiller : 'Doing comedy is scary'". London: The Independent. Retrieved December 22, 2006.
50. Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco states of her marriage, "Adah was not at all interested in home or family; in fact, the only thing she shared sincerely with him was his religion–she adopted the Jewish faith and remained steadfast in it until her death."
51. "BBC On this Day"
52. The Independent Feb 7, 2005; online here Findarticles accessed Dec 11, 2006
53. The Nation
55. Lawrence Jeffrey Epstein (1989). A treasury of Jewish anecdotes. p. 5,6. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
56. Interview at Book Browse "I am a Jew by choice and Italian by heritage. Shortly after I converted to Judaism, I came across a book by Alexander Stille called Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism."
57. Zeitgeistnews (in German)
58. Ariey Ariley (May 29, 2014). "Yosef the Holy Avreich" (in Hebrew). Jerusalem, Israel: Mishpacha. Retrieved Sep 30, 2014.
59. Deutsch, Gloria. "Yearning for acceptance". Features (07/26/2012). Jerusalem Post. Joseph Joel Sherman has traveled a long road, from devout Christian to even more devout Jew – and in fact he has not yet arrived at his destination, to be accepted as a fully-fledged Orthodox Jew – although he is well on the way.
60. "Intelligently and Enthusiastically Crowning Hashem". The Seymour J. Abrams Jerusalem World Center, headquarters of OU Israel. Retrieved Sep 30, 2014.
61. Shyne To Be Released In April? « 57thave’s Blog
62. http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/20338/edition_id/415/format/html/displaystory.html
63. from biography "Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley" by Jon Krampner, 2006
64. New York Times book review
65. Stilley – "...the former model, raised a Christian in Conway, S.C., recently announced that she is converting to Judaism. Even her rabbi is befuddled.... "The first thing that attracted me to Judaism was the undeniable family strength that has held Jewish people and culture together for 3,000 years. . . Jews, whether religious or not, know where they have come from and what they would wish for their future, and this certainty is based on fact, not faith.... "I will not be a perfect Jew, nor will Judaism make me perfect. But I know that Judaism will give me faith, support, knowledge, and history. I am not Jewish because I choose to be. I am Jewish because there is no other choice for me.""
66. In her book Elizabeth Takes Off, Taylor writes, "[Conversion to Judaism] had absolutely nothing to do with my past marriage to Mike [Todd] or my upcoming marriage to Eddie Fisher, both of whom were Jewish. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time."
67. Profile at Jewishsports.com
68. Jewish Bulletin of Northern California:On being asked about Christmas, because of the Santa Claus related The Polar Express, he stated "We have a Jewish household. I converted when I married Lisa."
69. Jewish Bulletin of Northern California: "After Winningham observed her first Yom Kippur that year, she knew she had to convert, and did so March 3, 2003, accompanied by an entourage of friends and relatives."
70. Jewish Baseball Players
71. Entertainment Weekly
72. NIH Profile
73. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0748-0814(1989)7%3A1%3C247%3AFMTJCE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5
74. http://books.google.com/books?id=SdwbFx9Dz8EC&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=Mary+Doria+Russell+atheist+convert+to+judaism&source= web&ots=B3k3Y1x-zr&sig=V-x23lDfFw5fBjbJIhLQb1jJsEs
75. Cohen, Mike. TV’s Lost Girl converts to Judaism, Jewish Tribune, August 23, 2011. Accessed October 18, 2011.
76. j. – Actress-singer Mare Winningham an unlikely Jewish soul
77. Actress Mare Winningham Sings a "Convert's Jig"
78. Iranian Muslim converts to Judaism
79. "A Martyr from Lebanon: Life in the Shadow of Danger"
80. Jewish Encyclopedia
81. Jewish Encyclopedia
82. Jewish Encyclopedia "He was by birth a Gentile from Pontus, and is said by Epiphanius to have been a connection by marriage of the emperor Hadrian and to have been appointed by him about the year 128 to an office concerned with the rebuilding of Jerusalem as "Ælia Capitolina." At some unknown age he joined the Christians, but afterward left them and became a proselyte to Judaism."
83. Jewish Encyclopedia
84. Jewish Encyclopedia
85. BBC
86. (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities xx. 7, § 3
87. EsMas.com
88. Columbia Encyclopedia