IN REMOTE MADAGASCAR, A NEW COMMUNITY CHOOSES TO BE JEWISH:

A nascent Jewish community was officially born in Madagascar last month when 121 men, women and children underwent Orthodox conversions on the remote Indian Ocean island nation better known for lemurs, chameleons, dense rain forests and vanilla. The conversion took place over a 10-day period, were the climax of a process that arose organically five to six years ago when the community began to study Torah. Through self-study and with guidance from Jewish internet sources and correspondence with rabbis in Israel, they now pray in Sephardic-accented Hebrew and strictly observe the Sabbath and holidays. The conversions were facilitated by Kulanu, a New York-based organization that specializes in supporting isolated and emerging Jewish communities, but were initiated by the residents. "Now that we’ve re-established the State of Israel, it is time to re-establish the Jewish people, especially in the Diaspora,” said Bonita Sussman, vice president of Kulanu. (JTA)