Wednesday, January 16, 2008

needles in the haystack

Looking for Sri Lankan's of Jewish descent or Jew's with Sri Lankan descent is a slow mining activity. Even when people "come out" they often wish to remain underground! Even Chabad who have set up in Sri Lanka have not had much contact with Sri Lankan Jews as such - there main constituency being Israeli's, expats etc (not that thats bad). I am wondering how it is possible to create a safe space for individuals exploring their heritage and religious beliefs can meet without expectations? There is by the way a group on Facebook: Jewish and Asian: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2205164688 - worth joining but that is a public group. In my own case, despite coming from a recognised jewish family (the van Dort's) I need to convert for recognition under Jewish law, as there are too many broken records and missing links. Bummer really! I will be undergoing this process this year (and it can take years). Please email me if you have any more information jewsinsrilanka@gmail.com