Jerusalem – Shannon Orand, the woman who made headlines in the (EJF) Eternal Jewish Family, has successfully converted to Judaism in Eretz Yisroel and for the first time Rachel (Shannon’s Hebrew name)! has spoken out to the public and is reported by Jewish Israel, below is the interview.
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JI: How are you feeling? You’re a Jew now.
Shannon: Relieved after such a long process. I feel like I came out of Egypt. Many potential converts undergo severe testing, and I’ve certainly had my share.
JI: Were the rabbis involved with your conversion fully aware of the episode that transpired over the past few weeks?
Shannon: They were fully aware of the situation, are in possession of tapes, heard evidence, thoroughly questioned me, and required me to submit a written statement.
JI: Is there something you would like the online public to know that was not exposed in the press reports? Is there a statement that you would like to make?
Shannon: I think it needs to be understood that the information which went public was intended for trusted rabbinic authorities only. It should never have been leaked. The worst thing for me is the chilul Hashem that was created by all of this and the pain it has caused the Jewish community. I’m sick over the media’s treatment of this episode and the aspects they chose to focus on.
The outstanding questions are, how did I allow this situation to happen? Why didn’t I put a stop to it and just go elsewhere?
But the press reports virtually ignored the fact that I have been immersed in an ongoing legal battle involving my children and my ex-husband who sexually molested my daughter, pleaded guilty, and is a registered sex offender. Leib Tropper was taking care of the tremendous legal expenses I was incurring – which put me in a terribly difficult situation. I don’t think the press or blog reports conveyed the desperate and powerless situation I found myself in.
JI: In addition to the humiliation and pain caused by the Tropper scandal what are the other emotional costs you have incurred?
Shannon: I lost the trial and although my ex-husband is forbidden from seeing my daughter, he has been granted visitation rights to see my son. I had planned on making aliyah, but after this verdict that is no longer possible at this time.
A major concern I have is, how will the people in my community react? They are confused, and because I have been silent thus far, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. I want the opportunity to clear my name, and to be accepted by the community as a Jew.
There are other costs. My mother, who is a devout evangelical/messianic and was never supportive of my conversion efforts, has told me that I’m going to hell and taking her grandchildren with me. My father, who used to be a preacher, has left the church and now considers himself Bnai Noach. He is supportive. (Shannon’s parents are divorced.)
JI: And you still insist on being a Jew after all of this?
Shannon: Yes. I came from an idolatrous Christian background and worshipped a man instead of G-d. And now I have a relationship with G-d that no man can take away from me. I began studying counter-missionary literature when I was part of the church. I realized that the Christian bible had been severely altered, and that’s how I became interested in Judaism.
JI: You’ve had a chance to explore the rigors of the conversion process in both America and in Israel – in the Hareidi and the religious Zionist worlds. Is the approach different?
Shannon: I found that the Israeli process is just as stringent, but was far more focused on what it means to be a Jew, whereas the American Hareidi system placed a great – almost exclusive – emphasis on halacha. For example, the Israeli rabbis asked me questions about halacha, but also asked me questions pertaining to the 13 principles of faith, the idea of messiah, belief in one G-d, the importance of the land of Israel, the mitzvot, and what being a Jew means to me. The American rabbis grilled me on the various laws pertaining to Shabbat observance. I have to say that I found the Israeli approach to be refreshing and inspiring.
I feel very fortunate to have had what I consider to be the best of the best conversions, under such an amazing Beit Din. To be able to sit in front of and speak to such pure individuals that I respect and admire was beautiful. These people understand what it means to be a Jew, that it’s much more than a black hat, and they live it every day.
JI: Shannon, thank you for your honesty. May G-d grant you the strength, focus and wisdom needed to continue on the correct path and to meet the challenges ahead.
We hope the Orthodox community in Houston will welcome Shannon as a valuable member of the Jewish community, assist her, and enable her life and the lives of her children to return to normalcy.
This woman has gone through many trials and tribulations to complete geyrus. She is a role model for all yiddeshe women and hashem should reward her efforts with much mazel and freedom from fear from her former husband.
This is fasinating. Tropper preys on the vulnerable and weak. Good luck to this womin.
Amazing story. Mazal tov on your kosher conversion
Welcome to the club–the grass is not greener on this side
We wish u much success. The past is over , and you should only see much joy and simcha and naschas from the future.You must truuly be a special person, after all you went through, to realize that the ejf situation was isolated and that is really not how we should act . We commend you . We never judge a person by his past but where he’s holding right now. Hatzlocha
the only words that come to mind trying to describe “Shannon”, is, a true Eishes Chayil. Not enough that she has to go through such trials, and tribulation with her personal life with her ex, and children, she had to deal with tropper. She comes through with flying colors. While tropper was commendable in helping her financially, I must honestly concede, that I doubt that my yetzer hora would not get the better of me. But he did fail her, and for that he is paying the price. I think this interview answers all gaping holes of the past. It is now time for us to bury this, and put out the red carpet for Rachel, and for that I give her my blessing that she should continue to strive to be like her namesake.
Welcome Rachel welcome.
i heard a rumor that tropper is hiding out in lakewood. can anyone confirm this ?
Houston is waiting. Welcome back & mazel tov.
It’s fascinating that her father became a bnei noach. Mazel tov dad and daughter. You both are good people.
Wow! There is not much to say after this. I just hope she moves to a community which will accept her and encourage her. I would highly advise her to stay away from BP, Willy, Flatbush, Lakewood, etc. She’ll never be able to lead a normal life.
Wecome my Sister, you are now part of G-D chosen…
Welcome to the tribe!
Rachel: Mazal tov,mazal tov!!!!!!!!!!
you are a new person, forget about all the past, you are starting again!
Chabad wishes you great success,happiness, parnasa, health, all the best!!!!!!!!!!
Mazal Tov Rachel !!! I and my wthole Mishpucha welcome you and your children as Bnai Yisrael. Your strength of ratzon and emunah are an inspiration to us. Your new neshama connects you to all Bnai Yisrael and to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. May HKBH bless you with much Torah happiness and joy. I and so many Yidden have suffered terrible nisyonos in our lives. We must all put them behind us and not let them prevent us from moving forward with simcha in our life’s journey in fullfilment of our mission in life as Avdai HKBH. I highly recommend that you learn the Torah of Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch — his commnetary on the Siddur, his sefer Nineteen Letters and Sefer Horeb for a really beautiful and meaningful Torah life. Rav Hirsch’s Torah has given me such comfort and hope in understanding HKBH and his Torah and I know Rav Hirsch will help you too.
While Shannon may or may not be seriously devoted to true Judaism and live and practice it, remains to be seen. I’m finding it hard to understand what the hero’s welcome is all about???
Does every convert get such a warm welcome on this site, or only those who had phone sex..and more to extort money from impure people???? Please!! Let’s move on with this nonsense!
Houston accepts you with open arms. Your friends are worried sick about you and want you to talk to us about what is going on and what we can do to help. You dissapeared for three to four months and we wondered where you had gone.
With this carefully worded statment she has proven to be both a bayshan & gomel chesed two true characteristics of a Jew.
May she merit to use all of her inherent strenghts to achieve great heights.
May she be zocheh to marry an honest Jew and build a house in Israel.
I would be proud to share a Shabbos meal with you if I ever get to Houston.
Once she has converted she is as if she was just born (Ger sh’nisgayer k’koton sh’nolad) so let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.
Whatever she did as a goya does not count. She wants to leave behind that lifestyle and choose yiddishkeit even after the gangstershaft she was exposed to via tropper.
She never claimed to have a lilly white background and is not posing as a tzadekes.
Just give her the chance she deserves.
We do not need such geirim!!!!! She started off on the wrong foot. She is a woman of very ill repute.
As a giyores of almost 20 years, I am ASHAMED to be in the same class as Ms. Orand after how she behaved. What happened to dignity? To personal responsibility? To character, ethics and propriety? She has sullied and dishonored the image of the giyores and will cause untold damage for future young women who chose the same path.
Please do not come to our community we do not want your troubles, we have plenty here. You created a terrible Chillul Hashem.
She forgot to mention why her husband left her????
Atlanta is out of town?
Welcome to the tribe,Rachel.
what does concern me how she was used by the people who released the tapes.nobody talks about those who released the tapes and what they had to gain by publically humiliating this woman,
What’s with the tabloid-like photo of the Bais Din session? Who brings a camera into the Bais Din? What’s with all this sensationalism and voyeurism regarding this particular case? Is nothing sacred anymore that we let in tabloid journalists into the Bais Din? What’s next, videotaping the gerusha process? Is Ms. Orand going to post these BD photos on her Myspace and LinkedIn web pages?
She is no Geores, not by bringing such a chillul Hashem.
after reading the first few comments, i got nervous that the posters were becoming naive and simple minded. Who would believe anything this lady says? We have her on tape and know that she is a decadant person. B”H, some posters with a little common sense came afterwards.
Mazel Tov on the conversion and welcome to the Tribe, Rachel. Good luck to you and your family! I hope you find support in the community.
The Rambam paskens that when a jewish man sins with a gentile woman, she is supposed to be killed. it’s in hilchos isurei biah.
Mazel Tov Rachel !!!!! and sorry for the bad experience during the conversion process. May you build a “Bayis Neeman Byisroel” with lot’s of happiness
I wonder if she plans to keep halacha
I am starting to be afraid that the rabinate gives very light conversion that is against the halacha
Don’t forget that 2 3 weeks ago she was still in the proses in the usa and now she is done wit the procedure
The Sheva Mitzvot of a Bnei Noach which apply to every goy also include sexual impropriety. They too are expected to lay down their lives as opposed to transgress. She didn’t. She violated that halacha. She violated another when she ran out on her own B”D who turned her down to seek another, clearly an issur according Choshen Mishpat. She is not a valid Giyoret.
we don’t have enough of our own meshugenes?
1. She was not converted by a chareidi Beis din. It was modern Ortho. they admited that they only did it in order to get back at the Chareidim for keeping them out of the Geirus loop in israel.
2. If the tapes are true (IF!) then she was a zona. how can someone convert her?
3. She has a very shady past. The stories she made up about her “husbands” are LIES!
4. She lost the court case, not because she is such a tzadekis.
5. She was milking money for ‘other thing’s’. not legal fees- thats a lie.
6. The truth will show in the end. I met her. People will meet her and see for themselves.
she is not stable enough right now to have become a ger she should have waited why did she have to get it now she destroyed a whole family and relatives children grandchildren mechutanim she did not display any understanding of malbin pnei chaveirim berabim or being a bayshan the very first yesod of Torah is how you treat a fellow yid and the fact that she would do anything for money is why Hashem took away so much money from the velt and she has really ruined it for the ehrliche geirim who we have made part of our family and lives.
It speaks volumes to sane people that the real culprit in all of this, isn’t even having his name mentioned in this scandal. Unbelievable.
This is Torah? A hero’s welcome while sincere convert candidates are left stranded by EJF and certainly no help from the Queen S? Someone asked her for help. They asked if she knew of any other men at EJF (possibly on the Beis Din) who could be involved because some wanted to continue with EJF but not if the Beis Din rabbis were implicated. It has been a long journey for them as well and they did not want to jump ship so close to completing conversion. Shannon refused to be of help. She knew what she was doing and now she is treated like a pure innocent “sincere” convert? What has happened to Judaism?? She is no ones advocate. She is self-serving and has put women under the microscope far more than before. Every woman is not tainted because of her.
There is a simple answer to all the questions about Ms. Orand’s “moral” standing.
According to what I have heard, when a person converts, all his/hers past aveiros are forgiven and they make a fresh start. (Compare this to a chasan and kallah on their wedding day – they also experience m’chilah.) Since Ms. Orand converted, and in an Israeli beth din at that, we can safely assume that her past is behind her. We have an obligation to welcome her and not make life difficult for her, since the Torah commands us to love the ger.
For all those who want to bring up her past – shame on you! Are you a better judge of halacha than the Rabbonim on the Beis Din?
Have you not read the various interviews?
She says again and again that there was no sex between her & Tropper. This entire ordeal took place in phone conversations, which she recorded, and then got them to the appropriate Rabbi’s to deal with it.
At most, she was immodest over the phone because of the situation she was in regarding her kids, but drew the line when he demanded she actually do the physical acts. How does that make her a zona? Even if that were to make her a zona, where is the halacha that a zona cannot be converted? Truth be told, isn’t every goya considered a zona? For instance, why exactly is it that a convert can’t marry a kohane? [because they hold the status of a zona]
The Beit Din had full knowledge of all details pertaining to this case, the tapes, and all the details… including the fact that the Houston Beit Din had finished her conversion and scheduled the mikvah date. Tropper notified the Beit Din to stop the conversion immediately just as the story was beginning to break. They did just as Tropper said to, and she’s supposed to continue under this same EJF Beit Din???
She was right to run!