What do you think?
Rate this book
From the Kippah to the Cross: A Jew's Conversion to Catholicism
Jean-Marie Élie Setbon, the son of non-observant French Jews, was first attracted to Jesus when he saw a crucifix at a young age. He hid a crucifix in his room and contemplated it often, even though he knew his family would be hurt and angry if they ever caught him.
Seeing the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur from his apartment window, he was drawn to the church, where he found himself powerfully pulled toward Jesus in the Eucharist. After several years of surreptitiously attending Mass, he resolved to convert to Catholicism in spite of the scandal it would cause, but God had other plans.
Upon graduation from secondary school, Jean-Marie moved to Israel to delve deeper into the faith of his ancestors. He lived in kibbutzim, learned about the history and religion of his people, served in the Israeli Army, and attended two different rabbinical schools. Eight years later he returned to France as an ultra-Orthodox Jew.
While teaching in a Jewish school, Jean-Marie married a woman who shared his faith, and together they began raising a family; yet his yearning for Jesus remained, becoming the source of a long and difficult internal struggle.
Jean-Marieಙs moving and unusual conversion story is about his battle between loyalty to his identity and fidelity to the deepest desires of his heart. Above all, it is a love story between Christ, the Lover-the relentless yet patient pursuer-and man, his beloved.
Seeing the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur from his apartment window, he was drawn to the church, where he found himself powerfully pulled toward Jesus in the Eucharist. After several years of surreptitiously attending Mass, he resolved to convert to Catholicism in spite of the scandal it would cause, but God had other plans.
Upon graduation from secondary school, Jean-Marie moved to Israel to delve deeper into the faith of his ancestors. He lived in kibbutzim, learned about the history and religion of his people, served in the Israeli Army, and attended two different rabbinical schools. Eight years later he returned to France as an ultra-Orthodox Jew.
While teaching in a Jewish school, Jean-Marie married a woman who shared his faith, and together they began raising a family; yet his yearning for Jesus remained, becoming the source of a long and difficult internal struggle.
Jean-Marieಙs moving and unusual conversion story is about his battle between loyalty to his identity and fidelity to the deepest desires of his heart. Above all, it is a love story between Christ, the Lover-the relentless yet patient pursuer-and man, his beloved.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2015
5 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Read
September 7, 2025I'm coming at this book from pretty much the opposite direction as Setbon: I'm a former Christian who's very interested in Judaism. For that reason, I've been specifically searching for stories of Jews who became Christian, to understand why and see if, perhaps, they've seen something that I don't. But this book is very much preaching to the choir. I understand why Catholics have given it positive reviews and a high rating, but I don't think this is going to convince many non-Christians to start going to church.
By Setbon's account, he felt inexplicably drawn to Jesus from a young age, before he knew anything about him (with the result that his early fascination feels particularly idolatrous, focused entirely on images over substance). He also claims to have experienced some mystical visions and such, which, y'know...big if true. The point is, his whole argument for Catholicism is subjective and emotional, which means that it's unfalsifiable, but also unprovable. The only argument he has for why you should believe in Jesus is because he does, and the only reason he does is because he does.
Perhaps the most fascinating, and also frustrating, part of the book comes when Setbon formally starts learning about Christian doctrine. For example, he talks with a priest about why Isaiah 7:14 can't be prophesying a virgin birth (and he doesn't even bring up the verse's actual context), and he has a problem with Mariology in general. But then he prays the Rosary and...poof! Now he believes everything. Sometimes he tries to plaster these issues over with some strange, out-of-context explanation (the Messiah's mom has to be a virgin because the Talmud says that Moses' mom became younger before he was born, which Setbon chooses to interpret as "regained her virginity"), but it doesn't hide the fact that every legitimate question he raises about Christian doctrine is just answered with "but JESUS!!1!11"
I mentioned in another review that in my experience, attempts to justify Christian doctrine from the Hebrew Bible don't follow the evidence to see where it leads, it begins with already believing Christian doctrine and awkwardly trying to make things fit. Setbon is basically the peak of that. Here's a particularly bizarre bit (pg. 117):
If I'm reading this right, he's basically arguing that yeah, the Old Testament prophecies are incompatible with Jesus being a divine Messiah...but that just means that the prophecies are wrong, apparently! Which is an interesting take, I must say. He's defending Catholicism so hard that he accidentally became a heretic. (Marcionism, specifically.)
The major theme that Setbon goes with is the tension between heart and head; his heart has already accepted Jesus before knowing a single thing about him, so ultimately, he decides that the head can just be disregarded. He concedes that this position is impossible for most people to accept: "The Jews cannot be reproached for not seeing that Jesus was God, for who can see that? It is grasped through faith and through the grace of God" (pg. 118). But of course, you could use that argument to justify any belief, and besides, it just goes back to my point that Setbon's main "argument" is not an argument in any real sense of the word. His mystical experiences "[have] to be lived to be believed" (pg. 88), but, well, he still expects the reader to believe them.
There's also the fact that much of what he says about Judaism is wrong? I know that might seem arrogant for me, a goy, to say about someone who lived as a Hasid for years, but there ya go. At best he takes differences that Judaism and Christianity have in emphasis and tries to force them into black-and-white contrasts. He acts if as the formality of Jewish prayer makes it impossible to speak to God from your heart, when I can't count the number of Orthodox Jewish articles I've read advising people to practice informal prayer, including from the Lubavitcher sect that he was a part of. (And after all, isn't Catholic prayer formalized, too?) The problem, he claims, is that Christians see God as a Father Who can forgive sins, while Jews don't...as if this wasn't recited on the holiest days of the Jewish calendar.
I think this goes back to the issue of subjectivity. Like when he keeps saying that Orthodox Jews see Gentiles as "impure" and never care about them or pray for their welfare? If that's how you felt, man, I think that was a you problem, not a Jew problem.
In terms of writing, Setbon has a tendency to pass over things without really explaining them properly. Often these are his claims about Judaism, but for another example: one of his more mystical experiences is when he surprised himself by blurting out "Cardinal Lustiger is dying in the hospital!" Then he found out that Lustiger had died the previous day. Aside from the timeline issue (was the miracle on a delay?), he doesn't explain to the reader who Lustiger is, whether or not he had ever heard of Lustiger before this, or if he knew that he was ill, all of which seem relevant to knowing how miraculous this is supposed to be.
Also, what happened to his son Chneor? He gave him to an aunt to raise halfway through the memoir and never mentions him again.
Anyway, I'm not rating this, in part because I'm arguably interrogating the text from the wrong perspective (maybe Setbon only meant to preach to the choir?), but also because: I read this to understand why an Orthodox Jew would convert to Christianity. Setbon answered that question. I think his answer is wrong, but knowing that still helps me sort through my own religious issues.
By Setbon's account, he felt inexplicably drawn to Jesus from a young age, before he knew anything about him (with the result that his early fascination feels particularly idolatrous, focused entirely on images over substance). He also claims to have experienced some mystical visions and such, which, y'know...big if true. The point is, his whole argument for Catholicism is subjective and emotional, which means that it's unfalsifiable, but also unprovable. The only argument he has for why you should believe in Jesus is because he does, and the only reason he does is because he does.
Perhaps the most fascinating, and also frustrating, part of the book comes when Setbon formally starts learning about Christian doctrine. For example, he talks with a priest about why Isaiah 7:14 can't be prophesying a virgin birth (and he doesn't even bring up the verse's actual context), and he has a problem with Mariology in general. But then he prays the Rosary and...poof! Now he believes everything. Sometimes he tries to plaster these issues over with some strange, out-of-context explanation (the Messiah's mom has to be a virgin because the Talmud says that Moses' mom became younger before he was born, which Setbon chooses to interpret as "regained her virginity"), but it doesn't hide the fact that every legitimate question he raises about Christian doctrine is just answered with "but JESUS!!1!11"
I mentioned in another review that in my experience, attempts to justify Christian doctrine from the Hebrew Bible don't follow the evidence to see where it leads, it begins with already believing Christian doctrine and awkwardly trying to make things fit. Setbon is basically the peak of that. Here's a particularly bizarre bit (pg. 117):
How does the Old Testament prepare for the New Testament? Not at the level of the prophecies, because in the Creed we do not say: "I believe in the prophecies!"
If I'm reading this right, he's basically arguing that yeah, the Old Testament prophecies are incompatible with Jesus being a divine Messiah...but that just means that the prophecies are wrong, apparently! Which is an interesting take, I must say. He's defending Catholicism so hard that he accidentally became a heretic. (Marcionism, specifically.)
The major theme that Setbon goes with is the tension between heart and head; his heart has already accepted Jesus before knowing a single thing about him, so ultimately, he decides that the head can just be disregarded. He concedes that this position is impossible for most people to accept: "The Jews cannot be reproached for not seeing that Jesus was God, for who can see that? It is grasped through faith and through the grace of God" (pg. 118). But of course, you could use that argument to justify any belief, and besides, it just goes back to my point that Setbon's main "argument" is not an argument in any real sense of the word. His mystical experiences "[have] to be lived to be believed" (pg. 88), but, well, he still expects the reader to believe them.
There's also the fact that much of what he says about Judaism is wrong? I know that might seem arrogant for me, a goy, to say about someone who lived as a Hasid for years, but there ya go. At best he takes differences that Judaism and Christianity have in emphasis and tries to force them into black-and-white contrasts. He acts if as the formality of Jewish prayer makes it impossible to speak to God from your heart, when I can't count the number of Orthodox Jewish articles I've read advising people to practice informal prayer, including from the Lubavitcher sect that he was a part of. (And after all, isn't Catholic prayer formalized, too?) The problem, he claims, is that Christians see God as a Father Who can forgive sins, while Jews don't...as if this wasn't recited on the holiest days of the Jewish calendar.
I think this goes back to the issue of subjectivity. Like when he keeps saying that Orthodox Jews see Gentiles as "impure" and never care about them or pray for their welfare? If that's how you felt, man, I think that was a you problem, not a Jew problem.
In terms of writing, Setbon has a tendency to pass over things without really explaining them properly. Often these are his claims about Judaism, but for another example: one of his more mystical experiences is when he surprised himself by blurting out "Cardinal Lustiger is dying in the hospital!" Then he found out that Lustiger had died the previous day. Aside from the timeline issue (was the miracle on a delay?), he doesn't explain to the reader who Lustiger is, whether or not he had ever heard of Lustiger before this, or if he knew that he was ill, all of which seem relevant to knowing how miraculous this is supposed to be.
Also, what happened to his son Chneor? He gave him to an aunt to raise halfway through the memoir and never mentions him again.
Anyway, I'm not rating this, in part because I'm arguably interrogating the text from the wrong perspective (maybe Setbon only meant to preach to the choir?), but also because: I read this to understand why an Orthodox Jew would convert to Christianity. Setbon answered that question. I think his answer is wrong, but knowing that still helps me sort through my own religious issues.
October 16, 2019
A most intriguing read for sure. I always enjoy conversion stories, particularly ones from Judaism. Getting a glimpse into the Ultra-Orthodox and Lebavitcher sects of Judaism is worth the read. My only critique is that the author really isn’t a good writer. The book is a bit disorganized and he goes on backwards tangents when, to be quite honest, there is no need for that in this work. If he had organized his narrative better, he could have presented a seamless organized narrative. Also, his verbiage is too conversational. I felt like he was trying hard to make this work seem like he’s conversing with the reader, but the fact I felt aware of that tended to ruin the whole thing. Also, just a personal issue for me, but some of his tangents seem out of place and slightly vindictive/ awkward. So I gave it 3 stars because he has a very interesting story, but he didn’t present that story in a very eloquent way.
May 19, 2020
I always enjoy conversion to Catholicism stories. I think we all go through some type of internal conflict, however, watching what Setbon went through is inspiring to say the least. Especially knowing that he would be ostracized from his family and friends all for the love of Jesus.
August 20, 2021
This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It explains so much about the differences between the Jewish (Old Testament) and Christian thinking.
December 29, 2025
A very good book. Interesting to see how an encounter with Jesus changes person's abilty to love and his understanding of freedom.
November 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this moving an informative account of Setbon's conversion from Judaism to Catholicism. Many nuggets of inspiration and wisdom here for my own faith journey.
"I really felt Someone leading me. This is the charismatic life, and it is not reserved to a community or current in the Church called Charismatic. The charismatic life consists in letting yourself act and be guided by the Holy Spirit in everyday life, in all circumstances. It is like being on a sailboat: you move along when you hoist the sails for the wind of the the Spirit to breathe upon. If not, you stagnate, and you miss the people and the signs He places on your path to direct you. Each Christian is called to experience the promptings of the Holy Spirit in his family, work, and social life, and not only in moments allocated to prayer. The spiritual life is one with the natural life, even if it is essential to have times dedicated to mental or other forms of prayer." - Jean Marie Elie Setbon
"I really felt Someone leading me. This is the charismatic life, and it is not reserved to a community or current in the Church called Charismatic. The charismatic life consists in letting yourself act and be guided by the Holy Spirit in everyday life, in all circumstances. It is like being on a sailboat: you move along when you hoist the sails for the wind of the the Spirit to breathe upon. If not, you stagnate, and you miss the people and the signs He places on your path to direct you. Each Christian is called to experience the promptings of the Holy Spirit in his family, work, and social life, and not only in moments allocated to prayer. The spiritual life is one with the natural life, even if it is essential to have times dedicated to mental or other forms of prayer." - Jean Marie Elie Setbon
June 13, 2015
An interesting read.... I learned much about the Jewish faith and how it compares to Catholicism. I could feel the struggle of the writer between having a faith which is learned and having a faith which is felt. I am not sure if I will view the Orthodox Jewish faith the same after reading this book.
December 27, 2016
Great book.
Really enjoyed this book. Love conversion stories and his was full of interior struggle as most conversions are. Excellent read.
Really enjoyed this book. Love conversion stories and his was full of interior struggle as most conversions are. Excellent read.
January 7, 2018
Interesting read about a French Jew who comes to have a mysterious attraction to Christ. This attraction leads to Sacré Coeur where he even receives communion. It is strange how he feels he has to keep this such a secret. But has he been discovered, he would have been anathema. He has 7 children with his wife but she dies quite young. He goes from being Orthodox, kosher Jew to Catholic.. He gives good insights for Catholics on how Jews perceive others. Fascinating insights into Jewish-Christian dialogue, and the difference between Jewish prayer and Christian prayer.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews