A Jew goes looking for Jesus - St. Petersburg Times

A Jew goes looking for Jesus - St. Petersburg Times: "Benyamin Cohen was a nice Jewish boy. Too Jewish for his own good.

Cohen, the son of a rabbi, was raised an Orthodox Jew. He observed the Sabbath, kept kosher and married a nice Jewish girl — the converted daughter of a Methodist minister, actually.

But unlike his wife, who passionately embraced her new religion, Cohen was jaded. He wanted a chance to choose Judaism for himself, the way she had. So beginning in the summer of 2006, he spent a year experiencing Christianity. He still attended synagogue on Saturdays and followed the Talmud, but on Sundays, the Atlanta resident sampled churches. He also took in a Christian rock concert, booksellers convention, wrestling match and Faith Day at Turner Field.

At the end of the year Cohen, a Web editor, returned to Judaism with newfound fervor. And he wrote a book about the whole thing, natch. Monday, as part of Jewish Book Month, he'll be in Tampa to discuss My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith.