People typically celebrate their bar or bat mitzvah at 12 or 13. Adrian Richfield marked that occasion at 78.
In August 2021, standing alongside a group of peers at Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha, Richfield finally chanted the Torah portion she had been “carrying around in [her] purse for two years.”
The journey to that day began not with grand plans for a ceremony, but in a classroom. Then-Cantor Deborah Martin had gathered about a dozen adult learners — most in their 50s or older — for Hebrew lessons. As the group dwindled down to six committed students, Martin suggested something unexpected: a collective b’nei mitzvah.
“We laughed and we said, ‘You’re kidding,’” Richfield said. “And she said, ‘No. Let’s talk about it.’ So that’s how it all started.”
What began with learning the Hebrew alphabet grew into chanting Torah and studying Jewish tradition as the group prepared. The ceremony was originally scheduled for August 2020 but was delayed a year due to the pandemic. For the students, that delay became a gift — more time to deepen their study and gain confidence.
“Cantor Martin, in her wonderful way, said, ‘This is perfect because now we have another year,’” Richfield said.
When the day finally arrived in August 2021, family and friends filled the congregation, including Richfield’s brother, who traveled to witness the milestone.
“It was just a wonderful event: Saturday morning service, and then we had lunch,” she said.
Richfield considered reading her Torah portion a defining moment, especially with “Cantor Martin right by [her] side.” It was a culmination of the years of study and practice, but also carried deep personal meaning rooted in her family’s history.
Richfield’s late father fled Austria at 18 with the help of a Milwaukee relative’s affidavit, escaping just before the rest of their family was killed in the Holocaust, save for a younger cousin. Richfield expressed carrying the weight of that history with her as she read from the Torah.
“In the back of my mind, I thought about my parents and how happy they would be,” she said.
Learning Hebrew later in life was no small feat, but Richfield approached it with the mindset of a lifelong educator.
“As a teacher, I took it as a challenge, and I even got Hebrew flashcards,” she said. “I thought, well, how hard can this be? It was hard. Your brain at 76 to learn a language … it was challenging.”
In the process of meeting that challenge, Richfield developed a stronger connection to her Jewish identity and ancestry.
“This experience made me a better person overall and certainly a better Jew in terms of understanding history, culture and what happened to my dad,” she said.
To others considering such a step, she offered encouragement. “Check with your rabbi, cantor or spiritual leader,” she said. “It really does take two years to learn, to study and then to do it. But it’s terribly rewarding.”
“My Judaism was always on a shelf somewhere,” she said. “And since then, it’s been elevated.”
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