‘I’ve finally found God without all the extras’: behind the surge in people converting to Progressive Judaism

Elizabeth Arif-Fear was born Christian, then converted to Islam and was Muslim for 14 years and has now converted to Judaism. Photograph: Andrew Fox/The Guardian

For Elizabeth Arif-Fear, there was no single moment when she realised she wanted to be Jewish. “It was just a journey over time,” she says.

The 37-year-old interfaith activist was born Christian, then converted to Islam and was Muslim for 14 years, before realising that that faith was also not the right fit. Eventually, she found the answer she had been searching for in Judaism. “I feel I’ve finally found God without all the extras,” she says. “Without Jesus, without Muhammad.”