Winifred S. Davis will become a bat mitzvah at Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond on Saturday. Then, in August, she will turn 95.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just decided last September that I want to do something to occupy my mind,\u201d the Pinole resident said. \u201cI\u2019m living in an independent living facility, and they don\u2019t have many activities here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The East Bay woman never had a bat mitzvah as a teen and didn\u2019t grow up with a Jewish education. Now she attends services at Beth Hilel twice a month, and also belongs to Congregation Beth El in Berkeley \u2014 both Reform synagogues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gets on the phone with her tutor and Hebrew teacher regularly and will chant from the Torah. How has the process been?<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my God, I can\u2019t begin to tell you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been very difficult. I have to make flashcards and put them on my night table and look at the letters before I go to sleep, and the first thing when I get up in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis acknowledges that she is \u201cdefinitely\u201d someone who embraces challenges. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of person I am.\u201d She earned a master of arts degree and a specialist degree in education. She taught kindergarten for 30 years in New York and became a specialist in reading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller of Beth Hillel said that each time she meets with Davis, \u201cshe asks a deep question or shows how she has been paying attention to something happening in our community and shares her view. We\u2019re excited to celebrate Winnie and meet her family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis\u2019 two daughters, son and three grandchildren will be coming to the bat mitzvah, along with 25 to 30 guests.<\/p>\n
This will be her first time to become a bat mitzvah, but not her last. Davis is also enrolled in an adult b\u2019nai mitzvah class at Beth El.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWinnie is one of our most dedicated adult learners,\u201d said Rabbi Ira Rosenberg of Beth El. \u201cHer excitement around Jewish learning and being a part of Jewish community is an inspiration to me and everyone she encounters. We are excited to celebrate all of Winnie\u2019s milestones over the coming months and can\u2019t wait for her to be called to Torah in front of our entire community in the spring of 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n
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