Baalot Teshuvah and Their Families from South Africa and Argentina

The decision of a Jewish adult to change his or her ways and become Orthodox not only affects the individual and the family he or she creates; it affects relationships with the family of origin. Persons who make this change, baalei (m. pl.) and baalot (f. pl.) teshuvah, come from different parts of the world. This chapter examines family relations of baalot teshuvah daughters and their secular mothers in South Africa and Argentina. The research for these studies was qualitative, entailing interviews and, in the case of Argentina, a focus group as well. For Argentina, 10 mothers and 10 daughters were interviewed; for South Africa, 14 mothers and 14 daughters were interviewed. Similar interview questions were used in both settings. Prior to engaging in these studies and during the process of conducting interviews, a team of researchers educated themselves about these contexts—the historical, political, economic, and social ecology of each setting. In this chapter, these contexts are described, the characteristics of the interviewees are presented, and challenges to family relations are portrayed, with special attention given to the role of grandmother. The unique context of each country—apartheid in South Africa and antisemitism in Argentina—fostered the emergence of a baal teshuvah movement in each setting.