The Hebrew Class That Changed My Life

By Marcy Weinstein, Assistant Treasurer,B’nai Jeshurun Sisterhood, Pepper Pike, Ohio, Central Great Lakes Region 

My brothers, may they rest in peace, were ‘Bar Mitzvahed’ when they were 13. Frankly, I don’t remember if I was given the chance to become a Bat Mitzvah. It was long ago, and in those days, it was rare for a girl. For whatever reason, I did not have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. I did not go to Hebrew school or learn Hebrew. I didn’t think much about that until after my mom’s passing – may she too rest in peace – when I started attending Shabbat services more often at B’nai Jeshurun. I admired those that could read Torah. I thought, wouldn’t it be neat to be able to do that. But I couldn’t, and I couldn’t follow the right side of the Siddur where the Hebrew was written. Often I didn’t even know where they were reading on the page. I would occasionally glance at the left side of the Siddur where the English translation helped me understand what they were reading, and I enjoyed listening to the Cantor chant, but for me it was more like sitting and listening to a concert. I liked coming to services, but I didn’t feel very connected to the service itself. Even though B’nai Jeshurun offered adult Bat Mitzvah classes every couple of years, for me life was busy. I didn’t feel I could make the commitment, until one day I changed my mind, and I asked my Cantor about having an adult Bat Mitzvah. His response to me was that I probably should learn Hebrew first. Well, I didn’t know an alef from a bet, so I dismissed the idea of having an adult Bat Mitzvah and put it on the back burner. I continued to come to services, even if I didn’t feel very connected to them.  I finally had my Bat Mitzvah on Chol Hamoed Sukkot.  

The year 2019-2020 marked the beginning of the Pandemic. We had become disconnected as never before. Here I was, alone and isolated in my home for months, and desperately seeking a way to be connected. So, when I learned that the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, the umbrella organization for our Sisterhood, was offering Hebrew classes over Zoom with the purpose of being able to read the Siddur, I jumped at this chance and enrolled in the beginners class. My first teacher, Lymor Wasserman, sent an orientation e-mail in which she wrote, “bring a smile and a good attitude. You are going to learn a valuable skill and perhaps make some new friends along the way.” Little did I know how right she was. 

I have made lifelong friends from all over the country. Even though some may have been separated into different levels as we have progressed through the program, we have stayed friends. Even today many of us who have taken classes together still reunite on Zoom every couple of months to catch up and continue to be in each other’s lives. Some have stayed so connected to me that they chose to travel from North Carolina and Virginia to be with me in person on the occasion of my Bat Mitzvah. Thank you Lymor and fellow classmate Jaime Steinberg for coming. It meant the world to me.

To any woman who may be considering following the same path, I encourage you to check out www.WLCJ.org for the Hebrew classes, as well as others, offered by Women’s League. You’ll learn a lot and even make some new friends!

Shabbat Shalom,

Marcy Weinstein
Assistant Treasurer, B’nai Jeshurun Sisterhood, Pepper Pike, Ohio, Central Great Lakes Region