Strangers No More: One Family's Exceptional Journey from Christianity to Judaism

by Shlomo Ben Avraham Brunell

In this book, Brunell reveals the personal account of his wife and children, as they embark on the journey of a lifetime he explains why he chose to walk down a different path, from a privileged and comfortable one -- for something so difficult and different. He believes that by sharing his experiences, he will help others realise and rediscover the preciousness and uniqueness of Judaism.

134 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2005

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of My Sister, the Jew, not just in subject matter, but also in terms of its flaws. You can tell that Brunell isn't primarily a writer: particularly in the first half, he tends to wander off and talk about other things, like the Finnish climate and anecdotes from his days as a minister.

That said, he improves on MStJ because being a minister really was his main job, and it was of a more obviously Christian denomination, so that there's real conflict when his beliefs change and he leaves the Lutheran Church. (Side note: Finnish culture must be different than here in the U.S., because apparently, "a minister quits his job" is notable enough to wind up in the newspaper. Maybe it's just a small town.) The chapter where he talks about why he loses faith in Christianity is muddled, however: it's hard to tell what his exact objections were, as he mixes them with an info-dump on specifically Jewish ideas that I assume he only learned later. Likewise, the initial reason for his attraction to Judaism is glossed over. He makes it sound like he was just drawn toward it, but doesn't really elaborate on how or why. I would have liked more insight into what exactly caused that initial interest, whether it was realizing that Judaism is more accurate to the Bible, whether it was more emotional than intellectual, etc.

Things improve in the second half of the book, where he talks more about Judaism itself, his family's aliyah, and the issues that they found afterwards, including needing to go through a second conversion overseen by the Israeli Rabbinate. It's more focused, even if he still lets his topic drift a bit, and some of his insights, as a newcomer to Judaism, make you think about things in a new way.

[Scott Lenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

The depth and sincerity of a Lutheran minister's belief drives him to question church doctrine to the point of no return. His wife and teenage daughters stand by his side to support a search for religious truth leading to the loss of his livelihood as a clergyman, alienation from his rural Christian community and emigration from his beloved country (Finland). His reading of scripture pulls him toward Judaism as described in the bible before having any meaningful contact with Jews or the contemporary practice of Judaism. His path takes him and his family through a process of conversion to Judaism and aliya to Israel. Beautifully written. A truly unique window into Judaism and its place in the world. Highly recommended.