I was brought up in a Reform Jewish home in Highland Park, Illinois, where my family were members of B’nai Torah. I was not encouraged to learn Hebrew, nor was I expected to be a Bat Mitzvah. But, I was confirmed. My home had a lot of wonderful Jewish spirit and never did a day go by that I didn’t know that I was Jewish. I have always carried a love for my Jewish heritage.

After graduating from high school and college in Illinois, I moved around the country quite a bit for nearly 15 years before I moved to the St. Louis area. My best friend and college roommate, Peggy Nehmen lived here. Her brother-in-law was still single. Rick and I went on our first date in March of 1994 and we were married in this Shul a year later in May, 1995. Paul and Jordan were born in July of 1996. Their bris was also performed in this Shul.

The services here are warm and friendly. The music has always been strong and soulful. My first favorite song was the toe tapping tune to L’dor V’dor. Rick knew all the words to it. The song means, from generation to generation. This is the essence of who we are; Jewish people from generation to generation.

My father passed away two years ago. It was the first time in my life that I started saying Kaddish on a daily basis. I could however, only read the transliteration and the translations. Rabbi Miller said to me, “you really should learn Hebrew” - period.

O.K. Paul and Jordan go to Solomon Schechter Day School. They have been learning Hebrew while I remained illiterate in Hebrew. I figured, Rick will help with the Hebrew portion of their schoolwork and I would help with the rest.

Last year, I attended another adult Bar Mitzvah. The Bar Mitzvah “boy” told me that it really was possible for an adult to learn the torah portion, the haftorah and the blessings. So Rick and I looked into available dates in May, as I was born in May. It turned out that I was born during the week that the B’Har portion was read. And, Rick and I were married the week that B’Hukotai was read. Therefore, this year, when both parts were read together, it was beshert - it was meant to be! So, here I am.

After all this, I can truly say that I have had a wonderful year. The Torah and the haftorah are so fascinating. It’s not just G-d’s word that I can read, but there is real life history that goes with these two bodies of knowledge. I recommend taking the opportunity to begin the process of learning Hebrew and in turn, reading the Torah and reading what the prophets have written, and finding out where they were coming from, historically.
I have numerous and much appreciated thank you that I like to share:

Rabbi Miller: I thank you for your spirit. From the first time that I was a guest of Peggy’s for the High Holidays, years before I moved here, I felt the spirit in which you read from the siddur. You made it sound fresh, as though it was the first time that your really read it. This is a quality that you bring to our Shul each day.

Hazzan Portner, Elliot: We’ve spent a lot of time together over the last year. It’s been a lot of fun. You instilled confidence in me as you helped me with transitions from note to note, and with “dental gymnastics” as you call it. Thank you.

Thank you Bonnie and the Women’s League for my Siddur. Bonnie, you are so dear to our family. I know that Paul and Jordan will never forget you. It would be so funny Saturdays when you’d pull out the matchbox cars from your purse for them to play with. They’d run over to me and tell me, “Bonnie gave them to us”.

Thank you Richard, and thanks to the Men’s club for my very own Chumash. I especially love the maps in the back of it.

Johnathon, Thank you for being so vital to our Shabbot experience. I am in awe and admire your fluidness in reading torah.

To my Solomon Schechter community, thank you for being a part of our everyday lives and for the care you give with educating the children of the school. Some of you have walked pretty far to be here. I can’t than you enough. Thank goodness the weather cooperated.

To my BSKI congregation, you make this Shul a real community. Many of you have been my inspiration for standing here today. So thank you.

And, I want to thank my other friends who are here to share with me.

To Kadima USY. You have been working so hard on the musical, South Pacific. I really appreciate how you have been able to share the auditorium with me. You have been so gracious. The show will be wonderful. It opens Sunday night.

To the Confirmation class of 2004. It is a pleasure to share this day of honor with you. Jewish education does not have to stop with confirmation. Congratulations to all of you.

I have my family here, today. All of you have traveled to be here and I am truly honored. My parents and grandparents and most of my aunts and uncles have passed away. It is to their tribute that I have a sense of Jewishness. May their souls be bound up in the book of life.