Audio file

Transcript  Sheila Olsen.

Shabbat Shalom. Thank you to all, especially to my family and my dear friends who are joining me today to be an adult bat mitzvah. It means a lot to me. Having a good education was always important. It was something passed down for my family, as well as other families. As far back as I can remember, my report cards showed I was a poor student, even though I wanted to learn. I never knew why. So, instead of going to college, I got married and had two wonderful children, Jeff and Renee.

No thought of going to school. Our family of four moved from Brooklyn to Oceanside, Long Island, from an apartment to a house. Life was good. We became members of a conservative temple, Jewish Center of Ocean Harbor. When my son was studying for his bar mitzvah, I learned that I had a hearing problem. I soon learned I was 60% deaf reading lips. So that’s why I couldn’t hear anybody. OK, so Dr. Scher gave me bionic ears. And from then, I could hear a pencil drop. Wow. I did start thinking about going to college, which I did. Started a Nassau community, continued in Queens College. I worked on the day and I went at night. I graduated with psychology *** laude. I worked hard. I even got a certificate in alcohol counseling in Molloy College. While at Queens College, one of my professors who had a doctorate asked if anyone reverses numbers, letters, and hyphenated words, and that turned out to be a form of dyslexia. Oh, that’s me. That’s what I read slow. Well, if he had a doctorate and got his education, why not me? So I could go on, which I did. And I got a master’s degree in education counseling. So, beginning in 1978 to 1997, a total of 19 years, you know I enjoyed being a student.

Moving forward, after 16 years being a dental assistant, I applied to becoming a substance abuse counselor in the New York school system in Maspeth, Queens. And there I continued my studies by going to workshops, at least 30 to 40 workshops, until my husband and I moved to Florida. Fast forward, 2025, a time in my life when as a widow for four years, decided to join the best temple, Temple Sinai. I was moving forward, becoming active, and learned about the adults but missed the class, which began this past October. So I thought, why not? I tried Spanish, I took Creole.

Now I was going to learn Hebrew. What a pleasure working alongside my co-friends students. You are all so special. Although this has been a bit of a challenge, I am so glad I decided to bring in this journey. Thank you, Judy, for making our class so enjoyable and encouraging us to do our homework. You are our mother hen. Rabbi Steve, your enthusiasm When you talk, it’s so inspiring. Your leadership is just a spiritual awakening and can’t just share. Your angelic voice serves my soul. What began as a learning journey has evolved into a spiritual one, enhancing services on Friday evening and Saturday morning. Now, I am looking forward to post-bat mitzvah classes. Thank you.