I also had a Jewish past life. SeaAndSky has told me about these same exact people before, but I can't find them. (I do think it would be interesting to talk to them about my past life but I have no interest in converting to Judaism.)
I have been interested in talking to other people who had Jewish past lives (and especially those that are NOT Holocaust-related) but at the same time I worry if I am overstepping things and would come across as being weird about it.
Right? I feel like I'd be weird about it no matter what. I would probably convert if I felt the congregation was right, but it's such a sticky situation -- I know that a lot of orthodox Jews in particular are pretty judgy of converts, and that would hurt because I WAS orthodox! But I was also a judgy orthodox dude myself, so . . . it's my karma. Literally
Not that I'd be orthodox -- I'm much more attracted to reform Judaism now, but I wouldn't feel comfortable being Jewish unless I was
fully accepted as being Jewish, by the whole diaspora. Plus, the whole political situation in Israel is pretty complicated, and I'd feel uncomfortable as a convert being too opinionated about that -- and everyone expects you to have an opinion, so
Maybe I wouldn't "probably convert" after all
I just wish I could resume certain aspects of my previous lifestyle without feeling like I was invading a private party.
My experiences were loosely Holocaust related, but I wasn't in the Holocaust. I was in England, and understood enough to know that my relatives on the continent were in trouble, but no one really understood the details when I was alive (I died in 1940). I tried to get people out of Belgium and Holland, but nothing came of my efforts. The whole beginning of the war was a real mess for my sanity, but most of my associations with Judaism revolve more around Shabbos and Mussar and for whatever reason the mikveh -- I know it's supposed to be a woman's thing, but I'd go at least once a year, before Yom Kippur (if not more), and I had a semi-secret desire to go more often. It was such a mystical experience for me, connecting with God like that. Now days I just take a lot of baths
My mom was descended from a line of rabbis in what is now eastern Poland, and my dad (I think) was from somewhere outside Vilnius, and strongly influenced by Salanter. They were incredible parents who gave me such a solid foundation and ultimately forgave me a lot of "wayward tendencies" -- it's hard to let go of the influence of people who were
just so good at raising me. It's a rare thing to have such sensitive yet principled parents, it was the perfect blend. Most of my memories of Judaisim are tied up in them, ultimately. The Holocaust was just a jarring side-note, and a tragic ending to my relationship with that tradition.
When/where/who were you as a Jew?
And have you been "called" to Israel in this life? I went almost 20 years ago, ages before remembering any of my past life, and everyone I knew found it so random. One of the strangest moments was standing at the Wailing Wall, feeling like I'd forgotten something very, very important. The question kept flickering in my mind: "
Why did I come here again? What am I trying to
do?" Jerusalem had always been a bucket-list city for me in my previous life, and my parents were ardent Zionists, especially my mom (she was just ardent in general). What's funny is, in this life, I went over there to do peace work and was mainly drawn in by Palestinian culture. My interest in Jewish culture there kind of caught me off guard! I'm a little upset that I went when I did, and not with my memories intact. I imagine it would feel so much more fulfilling to go again now.
