For Jaclyn Skalecki Orozco, choosing Judaism wasn’t a moment – it was a journey.
On June 21, she marked a powerful milestone in that journey by celebrating her adult bat mitzvah at Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee. A member of the congregation for more than eight years and a convert since 2019, Orozco’s decision to step up to the bimah was both a personal affirmation of faith and a public celebration of belonging.
Orozco first discovered Congregation Shalom when she visited with a youth group from a Unitarian Universalist Church in 2017. It had been a rough Friday night for her after a long week, but during the service, she felt a profound sense of peace and connection – a “woosh feeling,” as she described it. “All the irritation, anxiety, frustration, whatever that I was feeling was just gone…And I got real excited. I was asking all kinds of questions,” Orozco said. After the service, she approached Rabbi Rachel to ask if she could return to Shalom. The answer was a joyful yes.
After attending services regularly for a couple months, Orozco enrolled in an introduction to Judaism class. She hadn’t intended to convert, but one day, while introducing herself in class, she realized she was ready. “It was news to Rabbi Rachel,” she laughed.
Orozco later joined a Hebrew class at Shalom taught by longtime teacher Rick Paler, alongside around a dozen other adults. Some were Jewish from birth but never had the opportunity to read from the Torah; others, like Orozco, Jews by choice, were learning Hebrew for the first time. They started with the alphabet and celebrated milestones together, like reading the word “Shalom” in Hebrew for the first time. “We were all very supportive of each other,” she said.
Supported by her cohort and the congregation staff, Orozco learned to chant Torah, delivered her d’var Torah, and lifted the Torah during the service. “So many people showed up…all these people that I had done Torah study with for so many years, or that I’ve seen at services. I felt like I had more people there for me than I could have ever imagined,” she said.
During her conversion process, events like the Tree of Life shooting deepened her connection to her identity. The next day, she bought a Magen David necklace, which she’s worn since. “I wasn’t about to let anybody else tell me who I was or who I wanted to be… I was just really glad to find what finally fit.”
First, she found Judaism. Now, she’s finding her own Jewish path.
Orozco’s favorite holiday is Shabbat. Lately, she has spent Friday nights unplugged and relaxed at home. Saturday mornings are for Torah study at Shalom, followed by services and luncheons. “It’s very meaningful for me to be able to set that time apart,” she said.
One local rabbi viewed Orozco as a possible future rabbi, she recalled. Orozco often listens to Jewish podcasts and Israeli music. “I just want to keep learning,” she said.
As project coordinator at Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Orozco is developing a new initiative to support Jewish and other students in non-Jewish K-12 schools. She appreciates that working for a Jewish organization means she can fully observe the holidays.
In Judaism, Orozco finds room to grow: “You can have doubts about things. You can wrestle with them…I feel like it’s a space that can grow with you, and not one that you need to worry about growing out of, which is exciting to me, because I like to learn.”
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