Ole Brunell

Ole Brunell

Ole Brunell as he was originally named, currently known as Shlomo Brunell, was born in Swedish-speaking Kokkola, Finland in 1953.

Mr. Brunell was ordained as a minister in the Lutheran Church in 1978. He served as a pastor in both Finland and Australia. He preached and ministered in Swedish, English, and Finnish during his career as a minister.

Eventually, he ceased to believe in the teachings of the Lutheran Church, and ultimately came not to believe in Christianity at all. Because of this, he could not in good conscience continue as a minister. At the same time he ceased to be a Lutheran. Although he left the church because he could not reconcile his beliefs with church teachings, he also left the church because of what he saw as shabby treatment at the hands of the church hierarchy.

Despite that he stopped believing in the Christian faith, he never stopped believing in God. For six years, he and his family had no formal religion. He describes this as a religious "no man's land." He recalls that he had "no holidays to celebrate, and not even a calendar to follow."

After six years of deep soul searching, he, his wife, and four daughters all decided to convert to Judaism. The first answer from the Orthodox Jewish establishment was “no,” as is required according to conversion laws. But he would not take “no” for an answer. Eventually the leaders relented, and all were converted. Upon conversion, Mr. Brunell changed his first name from “Ole” to “Shlomo ben Avraham,” and his wife changed her name from “Runa” to “Ruth.” These are names frequently chosen by converts. The family retained the name “Brunell.”

The entire family now lives in Israel. At least two of the daughters are now married (in a proper Jewish marriage) He now has a grandson, Daniel – Jewish by birth – who was born in December 2006.

Mr. Brunell wrote of his experience in a book entitled “Strangers No More: One Family’s Exceptional Journey from Christianity to Judaism,” ISBN 9652293040 published by Gefen Publishing House in Jerusalem in 2005.

References

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Apostasy — (IPA: /əˈpɒstəsi/) is the formal religious disaffiliation or abandonment or renunciation of one s religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. In a technical sense, as used sometimes by sociologists without the pejorative connotations… …   Wikipedia

  • List of converts to Judaism — This article endeavours to list some notable people who have converted, or are believed to have converted, to Judaism. Their notability is based either on outside endeavors for otherwise famous people, or on circumstances which would make their… …   Wikipedia

  • Brunel — can mean:* Isambard Kingdom Brunel, famed British engineer * Marc Isambard Brunel, engineer and father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel * Brunel Bridge, designed by Brunel * Brunel Museum in London, UK * Brunel University in UK * Shlomo Ben Avraham Ole …   Wikipedia

  • List of former Protestants — This is a list of people who were, but no longer are followers of Protestant churches. It is organized by what church they left; when applicable, the religion they joined is mentioned. As implied it is limited to those who left Protestantism for… …   Wikipedia

  • List of former Christians — This is a list of people who left Christianity for another religion or a non religious ideology. Ex Christians who had been Roman Catholics This is a list of people who left Roman Catholicism for another religion or a non religious ideology.… …   Wikipedia

  • Archie Manning — No. 4, 8      Quarterback Personal information Date of birth: May 19, 1949 (1949 05 19) (age 62) Place of birth: Drew, Mississippi …   Wikipedia

  • Twitch (film) — Infobox Film name = Twitch caption = Twitch director = Leah Meyerhoff producer = Sean Warner writer = Leah Meyerhoff starring = Emma Galvin Peter Corrie Toni Meyerhoff music = cinematography = editing = Leah Meyerhoff distributor = released =… …   Wikipedia

  • Deuce McAllister — at the Alamodome, with amputated Army Medical Center patients No. 26      Running back …   Wikipedia

  • Ozzie Newsome — No. 82      Tight end Personal information Date of birth: March 16, 1956 (1956 03 16) (age 55) Muscle Shoals, Alabama …   Wikipedia

  • Club Nacional de Football — Nacional Nombre completo Club Nacional de Football Apodo(s) Bolsos, Albos, Tricolores Fundación 14 de mayo de 1899 Estadio …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”