September 21, 2025 | 28 Elul 5785
Marcy Hotz celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in 2021, when she was 73 years old. “I was 60 years late,” she told the Chronicle in an interview. She was born and raised in Milwaukee in the 1960s, attending Garfinkel’s New Method Hebrew School at 53rd and Center. While she attended Hebrew school, she did not have […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ashley Boros-Rupp finally found what she was looking for. She said she’s long had a relationship with God. Boros-Rupp was raised in a family that could be described as agnostic yet attended church, she said. She felt she could maintain her relationship with a higher power independent of organized religion. That changed when Boros-Rupp, who […]
When James Wiley stepped up to the bimah for his adult bar mitzvah, he sent a clear message to his children: belonging is yours, if you choose to embrace it. “I wanted to relay to my kids that belonging is for you, and it’s something that you can have faith in…The land of milk and […]
When Ellen Eckman’s grandson expressed interest in a bar mitzvah, she made a pledge to him: If he pursued his, she’d pursue hers. Ellen didn’t have a bat mitzvah growing up. Although she was raised Jewish and had three brothers who celebrated bar mitzvahs with full ceremonies and parties, there was less opportunity for girls […]
Sixty years after his first bar mitzvah, Lawrence Tarnoff stood on the bimah once more, this time alongside his wife, Jill. For most of his life, Lawrence felt more culturally Jewish than religious. He connected with Jewish family, food, and holidays, and was bar mitzvahed as a teen. He even worked within the Milwaukee Jewish […]
“What does the Holocaust have to do with Gaza?” My 17-year-old daughter and I were wandering through the Dane County Farmer’s Market in August. I love walking from stand to stand sampling unfamiliar produce. My favorite spot is always the small patch of real estate with the Capitol building as its backdrop. This is where […]
Jewish Family Services has opened a new supportive housing residence, aimed at addressing Milwaukee’s affordable housing shortage for senior citizens. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Residences at Woodale Crossing Senior Affordable Housing, an $18.7 million project, began welcoming residents in early August. Located in Brown Deer, the new 56-unit building is a step forward in […]
When a documentary illustrated Sweden’s role as a haven for Jews during the Holocaust, some audience members took note of the positive take on a terrible moment. About 70 people gathered on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Curtin Hall for a screening of “Passage to Sweden.” The film was co-presented by the […]
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