My Torah Fund Journey 

We joined Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles so we could enroll our children in the day school of Pressman Academy. Strictly a secular decision: Safe, small classes, and where parents have some input in their children’s education—very important to this mama bear. 

It became evident that our kids’ Judaic skill was quickly surpassing mine, not really surprising as I was raised with none. My Orthodox mother survived the ghettos of Hungary while her father and sister simply disappeared. My father survived Buchenwald. The first time they entered a shul was at my wedding. 

I knew I was Jewish, but what did that mean? I grew up in a predominantly immigrant Jewish neighborhood of Los Angeles. While I enjoyed my friend’s latke parties and Friday Shabbat dinners, I always felt ashamed of my ignorance. At shul I decided to try an adult course sponsored by the sisterhood. After class, Alice Weit, an elegant, gregarious lady, invited me to an upcoming Temple Beth Am Sisterhood luncheon. There, I met affable women discussing the programs for the coming sisterhood year. I found out that Alice was the mother of one of the shul’s rabbis, the chef for sisterhood events, and chair of Torah Fund. No one could say no to Alice, so I joined her in the kitchen and on the Torah Fund committee. 

As I became more involved with the wonderful women in sisterhood, my interest in learning more about Judaism grew. We regularly attended Shabbat services, participated in events, volunteered on committees, became part of the shul community. We learned to recite ha motzi and kiddush, to keep a kosher kitchen, and light Shabbat candles. We learned about tzedakah and mitzvah. I was on a path I had not thought possible as an adult. But then, I had wonderful teachers—a community of caring, supportive, astute individuals who encouraged and guided me one step at a time. These individuals were sisterhood women and the rabbis, cantors, and teachers of Temple Beth Am. 

My four children also learned, became b’nai mitzvah, and continued their Jewish day school education through twelfth grade, building a foundation for living a Jewish life. They forged a connection to my grandparents and their birthright—l’dor v’dor (generation to generation). It was time for me to formally accept the responsibilities of Conservative Judaism—I became an adult bat mitzvah with the support of my sisters and rabbis. 

Pacific Southwest Region (PSW) was fortunate to have an office on the campus of American Jewish University and Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. The region formed a close relationship with the rabbinic students and their teachers. Both schools were vital supporters of and participants in Women’s League programs. 

Over the next thirty years, my Jewish education deepened through my commitment to Women’s League and my dedication to our organization grew as my Judaism matured. I met and learned from myriad inspiring and thoughtful rabbis and the determined, steadfast women of Women’s League as I progressed from sisterhood president to PSW Region Torah Fund vice president, to region president and WLCJ Torah Fund Cabinet member. 

The Torah Fund campaign supports individuals dedicated to living a meaningful Jewish life. These are the rabbis and professionals who teach us, our children, and grandchildren, the leaders of today and tomorrow in our community and beyond. 

Supporting Torah Fund is as much a part of my identity as being a Masorti Jew. I am always surprised when asked for reasons to support Torah Fund. In my mind the real question is—why would we NOT support Torah Fund?