Embracing the Covenant

This book is a practical and inspirational companion to the conversion process for Jews-by-Choice and their families. Written primarily for the person considering the choice of Judaism, it provides highly personal insights from over 50 people who have made this life-changing decision.

But it also will speak to their families―the non-Jewish family that provided his or her spiritual beginnings and the Jewish "family" which receives the convert―and help them understand why the decision was made.

Rabbi Allan L. Berkowitz was a congregational rabbi for fourteen years and now works as an educator and executive director in the nonprofit sector. He was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He also received an M.A. from Columbia University/Teacher's College and a B.A. from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His interest in social action led to his founding San Jose’s Tikkun Bayit, the "Community Peace Corps," which links volunteers with projects in ethnically diverse neighborhoods. He and his wife, Mindy, live in San Jose with their four children.

Patti Moskovitz has been a Jewish educator for more than 45 years. For almost 20 years, she has been instructing non-Jews planning to convert. An Outreach Fellow for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, she organizes and leads workshops and support groups for interfaith couples. She also lectures in the United States and Canada on a variety of Jewish topics for many Jewish organizations. Moskovitz is also author of The Complete Bar/Bat Mitzvah Book and Minyan: A Tapestry of Jewish Life. She and her husband, Larry, reside in Foster City, California. They have three married children and three grandchildren.