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MIRIAM-ROCHEL FAUXANINTERVIEWWITH
Sby Margie Pensak
even years ago, Miriam-Rochel Jewish. After the initial shock of this bit years later. It was a high-risk pregnancy
Faux converted to Judaism. Five of news, what would happen later should of a diabetic woman with myasthenia
years later, her love of Torah and not have surprised me. gravis in her 40s who was on a series of
learning impelled her to leave her medications. Her existence was a mira-
beloved Baltimore community to MP: Can you share some factors that cle. As I held her and watched her grow
move to Har Nof, arriving the day brought you to your decision to convert? up, I started thinking that maybe there
after the infamous Har Nof Mas- MRF: The “rejecting idolatry” stage was was Someone up there looking out for
sacre. Although she hasn’t been a two-step process which would take 13 me.
able to pinpoint the exact thing or mo- years. My mother was diagnosed with
ment that made her say, “I want to join!” myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular MP: Did you have any interest in Yiddish-
she can recall most of the factors that disease that leads to varying degrees of keit during your college years?
brought her to the decision. Miriam-Ro- skeletal muscle weakness) when I was MRF: My interest in Yiddishkeit was re-
chel has graciously agreed to share her seven years old. When I was 11, she was kindled when I attended University of
“journey.” hospitalized, and the doctors didn’t think Miami. In my first year (’95 - ’96), our
Margie Pensak: When did your interest she’d make it. Although everyone tried to English professor gave the class an as-
in being Jewish start? comfort me for the possibility of her not signment about the religion of our fami-
Miriam-Rochel Faux: Around winter pulling through, I just couldn’t be con- ly. I submitted a paper about the hypocri-
’04, my mother informed me of my first soled. What made it worse was that one sy of Christianity. It made me aware that
“spark of interest.” According to her, I of my relatives was praying with a rosa- I had some residual anger; even though
took an interest, at age three, in David, a ry in one hand and the picture of some my faith was restored and I believed in
kid in our apartment complex. Although saint in the other. I couldn’t take it and G-d again, I concluded that I couldn’t go
we apparently spent most of our time was angry at everyone: at my family, at back to the Christian way of life. In my
bickering, we would defend each other if the hospital, and at Whoever or whatever junior year, I noticed some friends eat-
someone else tried to mess with one of us. was up there. Even though my mother ing burgers without bread. When I asked
My mother claimed that we talked about thankfully recovered, I didn’t. My faith why they were doing this, they told me,
getting married, which she laughed off was gone. “because of Pesach.” Although the infor-
each time. As she told me this, she men- mation wasn’t retained, the spark wasn’t
tioned that David and his parents were MP: How did your emuna return? ready to fizzle out.
MRF: It was the birth of my sister, three
By summer 2001, I had transferred
94 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
Sby Margie Pensak
even years ago, Miriam-Rochel Jewish. After the initial shock of this bit years later. It was a high-risk pregnancy
Faux converted to Judaism. Five of news, what would happen later should of a diabetic woman with myasthenia
years later, her love of Torah and not have surprised me. gravis in her 40s who was on a series of
learning impelled her to leave her medications. Her existence was a mira-
beloved Baltimore community to MP: Can you share some factors that cle. As I held her and watched her grow
move to Har Nof, arriving the day brought you to your decision to convert? up, I started thinking that maybe there
after the infamous Har Nof Mas- MRF: The “rejecting idolatry” stage was was Someone up there looking out for
sacre. Although she hasn’t been a two-step process which would take 13 me.
able to pinpoint the exact thing or mo- years. My mother was diagnosed with
ment that made her say, “I want to join!” myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular MP: Did you have any interest in Yiddish-
she can recall most of the factors that disease that leads to varying degrees of keit during your college years?
brought her to the decision. Miriam-Ro- skeletal muscle weakness) when I was MRF: My interest in Yiddishkeit was re-
chel has graciously agreed to share her seven years old. When I was 11, she was kindled when I attended University of
“journey.” hospitalized, and the doctors didn’t think Miami. In my first year (’95 - ’96), our
Margie Pensak: When did your interest she’d make it. Although everyone tried to English professor gave the class an as-
in being Jewish start? comfort me for the possibility of her not signment about the religion of our fami-
Miriam-Rochel Faux: Around winter pulling through, I just couldn’t be con- ly. I submitted a paper about the hypocri-
’04, my mother informed me of my first soled. What made it worse was that one sy of Christianity. It made me aware that
“spark of interest.” According to her, I of my relatives was praying with a rosa- I had some residual anger; even though
took an interest, at age three, in David, a ry in one hand and the picture of some my faith was restored and I believed in
kid in our apartment complex. Although saint in the other. I couldn’t take it and G-d again, I concluded that I couldn’t go
we apparently spent most of our time was angry at everyone: at my family, at back to the Christian way of life. In my
bickering, we would defend each other if the hospital, and at Whoever or whatever junior year, I noticed some friends eat-
someone else tried to mess with one of us. was up there. Even though my mother ing burgers without bread. When I asked
My mother claimed that we talked about thankfully recovered, I didn’t. My faith why they were doing this, they told me,
getting married, which she laughed off was gone. “because of Pesach.” Although the infor-
each time. As she told me this, she men- mation wasn’t retained, the spark wasn’t
tioned that David and his parents were MP: How did your emuna return? ready to fizzle out.
MRF: It was the birth of my sister, three
By summer 2001, I had transferred
94 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
