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The Jewish Post & Opinion
1-woman show limns spiritual journey
February 16, 2005
by Ed Stattmann

An audience at Hasten Hebrew Academy Saturday night, Feb. 19, will be treated to a performance by a talented woman who has made the amazing journey from irreligious Christine to frum Rachel, from high kicks with the Rockettes to the modest garb of an Orthodox woman.

It all happened because she met a Jewish fellow, Todd Factor, who was not fervently religious but wanted his wife-to-be to convert. Along the way she led him back to observant Orthodox Judaism, and he's now Tovia, studying Torah in Israel and traveling with her, producing her one-woman shows - a far cry from his former life, producing and directing TV commercials for the NFL, 7-11, Coca- Cola, and Pizza Hut, where he gained a lot of status and money, but not happiness.

Rachel Factor, 36, titles her show J.A.P. - a pun on Jewish American Princess that encompasses her Japanese heritage. She was born Christine Frances Masaye Horii in Honolulu. She and Tovia, 37, are on an 11-week tour across the United States, bringing her one-woman combination of song, dance, and monologues to Jewish audiences.

She tells her own story, but not just for her gain. She says one of the lessons audiences take away is, "Don't pigeonhole other people or yourself. If I said 'I'm this and only this,' I never would have found the fulfillment I've found."

Her first conversion was as a Conservative. Later she and her firstborn, Ariel, converted again, when he was less than a year old. "He will have another opportunity to decide for himself when he's 13," she says.

After performing in commercials in Los Angeles and in Broadway and off-Broadway theatrical productions, she says she does not at all miss the high-stepping glitzy life. "I have such a better life now. I have a more well-rounded life."

She says she and Todd have been drawn to Judaism's emphasis on family and spiritual growth. She may be a religious troubadour, but it's a family tour with Tovia and the children, along with some assistants. "He's really producing the whole show. He works actually harder than I do on the project," she says.

The couple also has formed a nonprofit organization to gather funds for creating a center and a program for the theater arts for women in Jerusalem. "We want to refocus the arts for the religious community who can't just go to an art class or dance class - so these women will be able to go and enrich their lives. There's a great need for it," Factor says.

There also is a chance she'll be returning to the States to do workshops for girls at summer camps and perhaps classes for girls in Jerusalem. "We want to get some rabbis on board to kind of oversee and give us some guidance and incorporate some Torah learning within the performing arts," she says. "The performing arts have the reputation for being kind of anti-spiritual, but the art form itself is able, like all art forms, to help you elevate yourself."