A Vacuum Yet To Be Filled,Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

Dear Rebbetzin Jungreis,

I have wanted to write you for a long time because you helped me in such a profound way. I am so very thankful for your work, your message, your books, and your unapologetic call to all Jews to return to our Torah and heritage.

Three years ago, I was in the process of exiting the Messianic "Jewish" lifestyle. Your book, The Jewish Soul On Fire helped me to want to return to a true Torah lifestyle. Let me tell you how you helped save my Jewish neshamah:

I grew up as a secular Jew in the Five Towns and always had questions about G-d, life and the meaning of life. I would seek out answers but never got anything too satisfying. My neshamah was crying out for more than my Reform upbringing could offer. Sometimes, when my family went to "Temple" I asked if I could walk home. They wondered why their 10-year old would want to walk three miles. I told them that since the Orthodox do it and they're closer to G-d, I wanted to do it too. I would also say the Shema every night before bed, not realizing that the Torah tells us to do that. I was seeking G-d.

The sad fact is that after many years of living without Torah truth to guide me, I fell prey to a Christian who "evangelized" me. He was one of the only people to ever initiate a conversation with me about G-d and the purpose of life, etc. I didn't have enough knowledge or convictions about Judaism to refute him in any way. What he told me seemed to make sense. Thus began a 13-year journey in Christianity and then Messianic Judaism.

The sad fact is that all this happened right under the nose of a frum community. (The neighborhood in which I grew up was predominantly Orthodox,) Why didn't any of them reach out to me? Why didn't any of my Jewish neighbors invite me to their shul or Shabbos lunch or Sukkah? I might have accepted and listened.

During the years I followed Christianity/Messianic Judaism, my neshamah was still reaching out for authentic Jewish things. I loved spending time in Jewish bookstores. I purchased an ArtScroll siddur. I gravitated toward more tznius clothes. I also bought a Chumash, and eventually got into the habit of reading the weekly parshah each Shabbos.

I was trying to live as a Jew and a Christian at the same time. Impossible! It was a tug of war. Messianic Judaism is so awful because it tells Jewish people you can do such a thing, when the reality is you surely can't.

Fast-forward 13 years. Around the time of Rosh Hashanah 2006/5767, I was up in the Five Towns, visiting my family. I borrowed your book, The Jewish Soul On Fire from the public library and I read it during my two-week visit in N.Y. During this time period, I also read Parshas Ha'azinu.

Between the piercing words of this parshah and the words in your book, I was moved to tears and deep sobs because I realized that as a Jewish person, I had an obligation to the covenant we made with Hashem at Sinai. That I was responsible to keep all the commandments in the Torah, not just the ones I felt like keeping or the ones that the Messianic Jews said to keep. Your book's message really sunk deeply into my heart and convinced me that the Torah was the only path for the Jew. I knew that even though I didn't understand everything written in the Torah, it was undoubtedly the way I wanted to follow.

Around this time, I also heard of several individuals who dared to leave Christianity/Messianic Judaism. These religions are very cult-like and it is very hard to leave. You are made to feel like you are in serious trouble if you dare to question the Christian doctrines. (Messianic Judaism is the exact same thing as Christianity no matter what anyone says.) You are made to fear that G-d will be against you and you are doomed. What lies! The individuals who left this cult-like mentality really piqued my interest.

I began to question all the doctrines I had clung to for 13 years. I dared to overcome my fears and use the critical mind Hashem gave me and question Christianity. Along with The Jewish Soul On Fire, there were several factors ("Jews for Judaism" website, reaching out to Gavriel Sanders and others) that helped me see that Christianity is no place for Jews, that the Christian Gospel which they refer to as the "New Testament" is not the continuation of the "old," that it is not the fulfillment of the Torah.

Your book, The Jewish Soul On Fire, was a key factor and trigger in this major life change I was now facing. Thank you so much for writing this book! It truly helped me want to return to the Torah of my forefathers.

Now, three years later, I am living as a frum Jew with my husband and two young children. We are part of a wonderful community and shul in _________ ________. My children will go to the Jewish Day School in a few years. We are all happily serving Hashem and doing more and more mitzvos. My children and their children will not grow up Christian/Messianic. They will grow up frum Jews!

Read Comments (3)

This article touched my soul.
Date 11:11, 11-8, 09

I was raised Christian, but I am no longer a part of that religion. After years and years of going through many churches and denominations seeking for G-d, seeking for fulfillment, I was left bitter and angry. Then G-d convicted me, tugged at my heart, called to my neshamah. I began attending Shabbat services, I purchased my first Tanakh (a Hebrew-English version), and I began observing Shabbat in my home. Hashem is calling me to His Torah, to His Truth, to become one of His own, and I have decided to answer and pursue mitzvah. Finally, after 25 years, I have come home. Baruch Hashem!

Seeking Jewish people who have been approached by Christian Missionaries
Date 09:12, 12-16, 09

I am a journalist writing for The Jewish Newspaper in London and would be so grateful to hear from anyone who has been approached by someone attempting to convert them to another faith. I would just be looking to have a quick informal chat and perhaps use some quotes in an article that I am writing for the newspaper. My article has a deadline of this Friday 18th!
If you could contact me at saskiawillis at yahoo dot com that would be great. thank you so much

How I got lost and then found the emet.
Date 10:01, 01-13, 10

bs"d

After reading the young woman's letter about how she left
Jews for -----, I wanted to share my experience as well

I grew up in a wonderful home with parents that loved me
very much. But there was no spirituality. My mom, a non-Jew and my Dad, a Jew did not teach us anything about religion . Only our visits to our grandparents contained spirituality. When approached by "messianic jews" in high school I was hungry for something for my neshama so I fell
into it. After about a year and a half, something happened that I can"t explain rationally -

It was one Saturday evening service that I attended as usual but as I looked around I suddenly felt a feeling of disgust from somewhere deep inside - from a part of me that I had not met yet. After that I decided to leave and didn't tell anyone. For a while I didn't know where to go from there but after moving to California to live with my sister things started to fall into place. Through the University in Los Angeles I heard about a one year study program in Jerusalem and left for an unforgettable year.
While there, I spent shabbats with Neve Yerushalyim and went to homes of frum people to see what it was like.

When I returned to the States, I kept going to shabbatonim and eventually found my way to classes and I became Jewish-
first through the Conservative and then after that I did
the conversion the right way. It was the best thing I ever did in my life and I have found what I was looking for. I now live in Jerusalem with my family and we have a very fulfilled, spiritual life. We are close to one of the Admorim and love to daven at the chassidic shuls.

Sarah