Mazel tov! to Fox News journalist Kassy Dillon, whose new name is Devorah Rut bat Sarah.
After a loooooong process (seven years) Dillon announced her new status last week (March 29) via Twitter, with a photo of her wearing small Magen David on a delicate golden chain, and her new name in Hebrew letters overlaying the photo.
— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) March 29, 2023
“Thank you, everyone,” she wrote. “It’s been a very long journey with a lot of ups and downs. I hope to share the story soon. And for those asking: Yes, I converted orthodox.”
Dillon wrote in a separate post that she has traced her lineage back to Jews who were expelled from Spain — but because she was converted by Ashkenazi rabbis, she will follow Ashkenazi customs.
“Per tradition, the soul of every Jewish convert was present at Mount Sinai, so technically, we’re looking at process (sic) that was set in motion 3,335 years ago,” Orthodox White House correspondent Jake Turx reminded in a tweeted reply.
In a separate tweet, Turx related a conversation with Dillon that only Orthodox Jews can really relate to.
“Me: It never occurred to you to hold off on the conversion until after Pesach?
“Kassy: Since I have to kasher my kitchen anyway, by doing it before Pesach I get two for the price of one.”
Despite many, many welcomes and ‘mazel tov’s from various Twitter users, there were also those who felt compelled to spew antisemitic hate.
“And the antisemitism begins!” Dillon wrote, retweeting a disgusting post sent to her by a vicious hater who wrote “Welcome Deborah Ruth, daughter of Sarah” above a photo of an open oven.
And the antisemitism begins!
In reality, they've been sending me this nonsense for years. In a way, the antisemites knew I had a Jewish neshama before I did. pic.twitter.com/yYZHa9D7YK
— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) March 30, 2023
“In reality, they’ve been sending me this nonsense for years,” Dillon wrote. “In a way, the antisemites knew I had a Jewish neshama before I did.”
