000125967 1942- akiva avraham biography conversion emigrationandimmigration emily fiction foreignworkers formersovietrepublics foundlings friedman habad identity israel israelis jewishconverts jewishconvertsfromchristianity jewishjournalists jewishwayoflife jewishwomen jews journalists judaism kibbutzim levin manis michaelgraubart minnesota neal neuberger newyork(state) nontraditionaljews orthodoxjudaism proselytizing relations religionbenedek religionkarlen religiousaspects religiouslife russian schwartzbaum self-acceptance self-hate(psychology) taiwan tatz ultra-orthodoxjews unitedstates vladimir(zev) zelenko