By Laurie Berson
Special to Hakol

Although I’ve known my mother-in-law for 40-plus years, she still found a way to surprise me. Elaine Berson is the devoted matriarch of our family, a fashionista, extraordinary cook, math whiz, and loving wife of Bernie (for over 70 years!). She’s also a woman with a keen intellect, inquiring mind, and an insatiable curiosity about people and the world.  

Now 92, she grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, and attended Boston University, graduating with a degree in biochemistry in an era when women in the sciences was not the norm. As a mother of three young children, she went back to college to earn a degree as a registered nurse and worked in healthcare for many years. What none of us knew, however, was the longing she felt for an opportunity that had not been available to her.

At age 90, she and five other women in her retirement community embarked on a two-year Jewish educational journey that would culminate in each of them becoming a bat mitzvah. With their rabbi, they studied the Hebrew language, Jewish texts, the parsha of the week, holidays, and current events. Each of these extraordinary women had her own motivation for pursuing this path. For Elaine, her Tuesday morning bat mitzvah class was a special time that awakened in her a renewed love for her sacred Jewish heritage. 

The following is an excerpt from the speech she gave at her bat mitzvah ceremony:

“It’s an honor and a pleasure for me to be standing here before you today. It’s taken me 80 years to get here. Eighty years ago, I watched as six boys in my Hebrew class had their bar mitzvahs. I was the only girl. I was envious, but for girls, that sacred honor was not allowed. I carried that longing with me for decades, never imaging that one day I’d stand here fulfilling a dream that once seemed impossible.

“Life has a way of surprising us. Here I found a community that encouraged me, a rabbi who guided me, and a place where I could fulfill a dream I thought was lost to time. This journey has been one of discovery, learning, and profound connection. I’ve come to understand that Judaism is not just about what we inherit. It’s about what we choose to embrace at any age. 

“This experience has been more meaningful than I ever imagined, and I am truly grateful. Today I stand here as a bat mitzvah, proving that it’s never too late to claim your place, to honor your faith, and to celebrate who you are.”