When I called Tommy Collison today to go over an edit, he was stepping out for lunch after a half-day Ulpan, an intensive Hebrew lesson. Tommy and I

San Francisco's Top Irishman on His Conversion to Judaism

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2021-07-16 19:00:12

When I called Tommy Collison today to go over an edit, he was stepping out for lunch after a half-day Ulpan, an intensive Hebrew lesson.

Tommy and I met at the Kitchen in SF, where we were both newbies, though he’s been much better at his studies than I have. Like, let’s say today: I was just outside sunning; Tommy’s deep into Hebrew study.

And so today here’s San Francisco’s best and newest Irish-Jewish tribesman on why and how he chose a Jewish life and how converting during the pandemic taught him about “lo ba-shamayim hi” (it’s not in heaven).

Israel and Ireland are roughly the same age, and I think that’s part of it. Everyone’s always asking for the neat story of my conversion, and the shortest answer is: I always had an academic interest in Israel.

Imagine if I met you at a bar and said, ‘Let me tell you a story. It’s a country that’s 70 years old. It’s surrounded by enemies. And it has more startups in the NASDAQ than any country in Europe.’ I mean it’s remarkable. Then I spent time in Israel, and my academic interest turned into an emotional one.