Eiliyâhu Konn

I was born into a Presbyterian family and went to church until my teens. I began to read the scriptures seriously in my middle teens. I went to university after high school and studied chemistry but left before finishing my degree as I fell into fundamental Baptist theology. I attended one off the wall fundamental college almost completing a degree in pastoral theology, but left after coming to the conclusion that fundamentalism was simply the ends justifying the means. I then completed my chemistry degree and began working as a chemist in Rockford, IL, where my wife and I were born. We married in 1988 and over the past 20 years have had eight children.

I left my chemist job to go to seminary in Panorama City, CA., but only remained for three months thinking the students and faculty very selective in their observance. In the late 1990's we moved into an Amish community in Tennessee for two years. The living without electricity, telephones, cars, etc., was good for the body but the nëphësh was very troubled by the Roman Catholic type of church government. About this time I began to wonder why we didn't keep the commandments in the Tana"kh, especially Shabât. The Amish community folded because the bishop died and we moved to near Erie, PA.

We attended a "messianic Jewish" assembly in Erie, PA for about a year before moving back to Rockford, IL. We sought Orthodox conversion in Chicago, IL. About this time, I contacted the N^әtzârim. Also at this time, a former supervisor contacted me about employment in Columbus, OH. We moved to Columbus into the Eiruv with the intent to convert. I had begun learning from the N^әtzârim website and petitioned the N^әtzârim but did not continue. This was a mistake because though I had jettisoned all of Christianty I did believe Y^әhoshua was the Mâshiakh. I didn't tell the Rav or Beit-Din about my belief and so I didn't afford the Rav the opportunity to reject me, as he almost surely would have. We made âliyâh about a year later and then I came to the realization about 14 months later that I needed to make my belief known to the Rav and let the chips fall where they would. So we moved back to Columbus and about six weeks later the Rav made the decision not to rescind my [conversion certificate]. So we are now here in Columbus trying to sell our house and be released from my employment commitment and come back up to hâ-Ârëtz.