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My Big Gay Jewish Conversion
Following Simon Atkins, a gay Catholic man, as he considers converting to Judaism. He travels to Israel to experience views in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, before making a decision.
Is Israel really the best place in the world to be gay? And is Judaism the one mainstream religion that accepts homosexuality? Meet Simon, a gay Catholic man from the west of Ireland on a quest to find out.
Simon has never truly felt accepted by his own church, a problem that Matthew, his Jewish boyfriend from north London, has not had to face. Simon begins to wonder if the grass may be greener, and considers converting.
He starts with a trip to the local rabbi where they chat, among other things, about getting 'snipped', but Simon is itching to get to Judaism's homeland: Israel. He hops on a plane and first hits the streets of Tel Aviv, 'the gayest city on Earth', where he meets gay people from all walks of life, including gay soldiers in the IDF. Then he heads to Jerusalem, but the story here is very different. Extreme views towards homosexuality are rife and Simon encounters this in uncomfortably close proximity.
Then, it's crunch time. Faced with the facts, will Simon jump ship and become Jewish?
Last on
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:04
Foxes
Let Go For Tonight
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00:09
Eliza Doolittle
Waste Of Time
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00:12
Klingande
Losing U (feat. Daylight)
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00:12
Jessie Ware
Say You Love Me
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00:16
CHVRCHES
Leave A Trace
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00:19
Eliza and the Bear
It Gets Cold
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00:21
Tourist
Too Late
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00:22
Jessie Ware
Night Light
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00:27
CHVRCHES
You Caught The Light
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00:30
Jamie Woon
Shoulda
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00:32
London Grammar
Hey Now
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00:36
HOLYCHILD
Money All Around
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00:43
¸éö²â°ì²õ´Ç±è±è & Robyn
Monument
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Simon Atkins |
Participant | Matthew Waksman |
Executive Producer | Geoffrey Goodwin |
Executive Producer | Wendy Robbins |
Producer | Roeland Doust |
Director | Roeland Doust |
Production Company | 40 Partners |
Broadcasts
- Wed 9 Aug 2017 22:45±«Óãtv One except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD
- Wed 9 Aug 2017 23:20±«Óãtv One Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
- Tue 9 Apr 2019 23:05±«Óãtv One except Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD, Scotland & Scotland HD
- Tue 9 Apr 2019 23:40±«Óãtv One Northern Ireland HD & Northern Ireland only
- Wed 10 Apr 2019 00:05±«Óãtv One Scotland & Scotland HD only
Featured in...
Real Lives on ±«Óãtv Three
A selection of programmes featuring real stories about real lives.
Gay Britannia
A season of programming marking the 50th anniversary of The Sexual Offences Act 1967.
Make Me Think
Get involved with the big questions.