(Courtesy of Lamdeinu) Twenty-three years ago, I was one of three Orthodox Jewish girls at Bergen Academy, a highly competitive magnet school in Hackensack, specializing in the sciences. Although we didn’t have many classes together, Rachel, Allison and I were there for each other as an indomitable trio, providing support, encouragement and friendship.
Of course, we all had non-Jewish and non-religious friends, but having each other made a world of a difference and made it so much easier to be following a path so different from the mainstream. It was also so special to share our journeys — the three of us all discovered our love of Torah and explored many learning opportunities outside of school, finding a way to balance our rigorous school studies with shiurim and chevrutot. (Well, in my case at least, “balance” might not be the right word. I started my homework an hour or two after returning from learning and then stayed up until 2 a.m. completing it!)
Several times a week, on Sundays and after school, Rachel, Allison and I went together to learning programs run by NCSY for public school kids, and after graduating high school we all spent time in Israel. Today, Rachel and Allison live, respectively, in Yerushalayim and Moshav Mata, and I alone remain here in Bergen County, living with my family in a house so close to my alma mater that I could easily walk there.
While we are spread out, we all share a special bond. So, how incredible it was for me to walk into the Lamdeinu Chanukah Breakfast and see none other than Ellen Teitelbaum, Allison’s mother, who unbeknownst to me is a longtime student of Dean Rachel Friedman at Lamdeinu. I shouldn’t have been surprised that love of learning Torah was a family trait. Thank you to Dean Rachel Friedman and to all the teachers at Lamdeinu for allowing those of us who yearn for deep, authentic learning in our adult lives to have a home for it! And thank you to my teacher, Rabbi Gedalyah Berger, and to my fellow students, for making Lamdeinu such an incredible community of learning!
Dalia Shulman is an adult student at Lamdeinu who lives in Bergen County.
