Comedian Max Olesker turns painful Orthodox conversion into stage show

Comedian Max Olesker has turned the difficult process of converting to Orthodox Judaism into a stage show and memoir. He says the conversion, which was required for him to marry his Orthodox Jewish fiancée, caused deep distress and put strain on their relationship.

Olesker, 38, had considered himself Jewish, but the rabbinical court did not recognise his mother’s conversion to a less rigorous branch. The process included an adult circumcision and long delays, while his father was living with dementia and his fiancée’s grandmother was in her 90s. His 60-minute show, *Making the Cut*, draws on journals he kept during the experience and explores the varied, sometimes painful ways people relate to Jewish identity.