Katherine Podolak remembers the date of her Bat Mitzvah as if it were yesterday. “February 2, 2000,” says Podolak, 27. Her Bat Mitzvah at Temple Sinai was transformative.
“I remember it being sort of the first opportunity to speak publicly and found it very exciting,” says Podolak. “Of course, it was very nerve wracking, but it was good for me.
“It was really the first time I was able to feel fully part of the Jewish community here in Colorado and in Denver. I had a great tutor, Michelle Ruby, who I work with even now.
“She made the whole experience completely accessible, and it instilled something in me that made me want to continue not only to be involved in the Jewish community, but actually work for the Jewish community.”
Podolak is now the manager at YAD (Young Adult Division of JEWISHcolorado).
“It was a really positive experience for me and I think one that put me kind of on this path that I’m on now.”
Alana Goldberg, now an ambassador for YAD, shares some of those same sentiments. The Denver native, 37, credits her Sept. 2, 2000, Bat Mitzvah at HEA as a catalyst to propel her career. The former camper at Camp Ramah in California works in the Jewish book publishing world, as head of marketing for Academic Studies Press.
“I was pretty well prepared,” remembers Goldberg. “Cantor Goldstein was my Bat Mitzvah teacher, and I practiced a lot.
“Whatever your parents help you find Jewishly throughout your whole childhood is important. I got into USY (United Synagogue Youth) in high school, which was very, very big for me. My mom (Lori Goldberg) put intention into making sure I’d be comfortable in any Jewish environment.
“Of course, being a Bat Mitzvah is very memorable part of it all, but I think it’s the bigger picture that’s important. A lot of people have a Bat Mitzvah and then say, ‘OK, I’m a Jewish adult. I’m done. I don’t want to go to Hebrew school. I don’t want to be involved in youth group.’
“It’s more about Judaism being a positive even after you’re Bat Mitzvah and not just say, ‘this is the culmination.’
“No, this is the beginning, or at least a midway point of the Jewish journey.”
Steven Solomon, also a YAD member, has an anxiety-ridden remembrance from his Aug. 25, 2001, Bar Mitzvah in Redding, Ohio (next to Cincinnati) where he grew up.
“It’s one of those things when you’re at age when your voice is cracking, as you’re going through puberty,” remembers Solomon. “I remember reciting my haftorah portion, but I held back a bit, not really chanting and singing it, worrying if my voice would crack.
“I remember also telling myself, ‘dang man, you should have given that a whirl.’ I could have done it with my eyes closed.
“It is a really cool thing we do in Judaism,” says Solomon, 36, now a child-adolescent psychologist.
“It also relates to me doing what I do as far as working with kids and teenagers, stressing to them like, ‘You’re becoming a teenager. There’s maturing to do, and there are responsibilities to take on.’
“I appreciate how we respect and acknowledge that, and I think it can help us keep our eyes on the prize about growing up.”
As for Podolak, she feels she has come “full circle” in her Jewish existence. She left Denver to go to college in Michigan, then migrated to Chicago to do fundraising work for the Jewish National Fund. She returned to Denver last May to become the manager of YAD.
“The most joy for me in when I simply connect somebody to somebody else in the greater community,” says Podolak. “A lot of young people are moving to Denver and it’s nice to be able to give them a sense and a rundown of what the Jewish young adult life is here.
“We have a newcomer program so I’m able to connect those people with other people who have become involved in the Jewish community. Seeing those relationships form and genuine true friendships form is a really special thing that I think now more than ever is really important.
“For me, the Bat Mitzvah experience was very formative in my role in the community. The Jewish community and community in general looks so different today, from when I was 13. It’s a valuable part of being a Jewish young adult and I think it’s a great learning experience in general, not just for the Jewish part, but in public speaking, and dedicating yourself to a project that comes with it.
“People find their Jewish identity in a multitude of ways. Some is through the religious piece and some, not. For me, at least, it was a great opportunity to sort of step into the community and start to really feel part of it.”
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