Becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Camp Coleman

Traditionally, several women have their B’not Mitzvah at the Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) Southeast (SE) District Fall Kallah at Camp Coleman amidst all of God’s splendor and with the support of all their “sisters.” This year, I was one of them.  

The process began back in early spring when WRJ Board Member Addie Schneider sent me my Torah portion, both with vowels and without, along with a recording of her reading it. Addie was amazing, providing support all along the way as I slowly learned to read it without the vowels and then mastered the trope that goes with it. The evening before the Shabbat service, we had an opportunity to practice our portion with the Camp Coleman Torah. As we were getting ready to practice, WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch asked us to reflect on why we had said yes. I immediately replied with my usual response, “Because I still haven’t learned to say no!” But later that night, as nerves kept me awake, I got to thinking that there was a lot more to it than that.  

I converted to Judaism in my 60’s. My parents and younger sister had converted while they were living in Ohio, and I was an adult raising three children in Montana. I had no exposure to Judaism until I was in my 40’s and then only peripherally. When I moved to South Carolina 11 years ago, my parents declared they were coming with me. Since my father gave up driving at that time, I regularly had to take them to Friday services. Each week I was immersed in the singing and ritual and found I looked forward to the sense of peace and community that it engendered. As I listened to the d’var torah each week and learned more about Judaism, I was drawn to the moral principles and the idea that you should always ask questions about faith and the Torah. Question what the torah says and delve into what it really means and how it relates to me personally? What a novel idea! I was warmly welcomed into temple life despite my not being a Jew. Before long, I became a member of the temple choir and sisterhood and enjoyed contributing my time and ideas. Eventually, I decided I also wanted to formally convert and worked with our rabbi for a little over a year to make that happen.

Jo Thompson asked me to go to my first WRJSE convention shortly after my conversion in 2018 and I was hooked. Both district and national gatherings are designed around the three WRJ pillars - Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Social Justice, three of the things that drew me to Judaism in the first place. At each event, I am immediately enveloped with that feeling of being welcomed, supported by friends I am reconnecting with after some time and those that I am meeting for the first time. Affirmations of our faith are proportionate to the length of the event ranging from short prayers for half day events to full evening, morning, and Havdalah services, and torah study for weekend events. The singing and reflections are beautiful and often bring me to tears. There are opportunities to learn and provide meaningful hands-on service. This weekend was no exception for me, starting with greeting each person as they arrived and giving them their beautiful Kallah sweatshirt. We made blankets for hospice and teens in shelters while learning about each of the organizations that provide those services. Each prayer service was held amidst the beautiful fall colors that nature provides, making the Torah portions of B’reishit more meaningful. And, to make this event even more special for me, I became a Bat Mitzvah.

Which brings me back to why I said yes. Like many individuals who choose to become Jews, I occasionally am struck with imposter syndrome. This usually occurs when others are talking casually about their experiences and memories growing up in the Jewish faith, something I cannot usually relate to. Having a Bat Mitzvah ceremony was an opportunity to experience what that is like, reaffirm my faith, and do it in a supportive environment. With that realization came another: this was about reaffirming my faith. This last year has been a very hard one for Jews all over the world.  In the United States there has been a rise in antisemitism and a lot of mixed feelings about what is going on in Israel. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah now was a way to say, yes, it is hard to be a Jew, but I have faith.