A Community That Finds You Again
A Conversation with Jennifer Dechtman
Jennifer Dechtman’s connection to The Jewish Experience is deeply personal and unexpectedly full circle. Long before TJE became a familiar name, Jennifer felt profoundly supported by Rabbi Ahron Wasserman and his wife, Hadassah, during her early years in Denver. “They were a big part of my time here,” she shared, recalling the warmth and sense of belonging they created.
That connection led Jennifer to become involved at the very beginning. In 2000, as Rabbi Wasserman prepared to move to Denver, Jennifer’s father was serving as president of the Yeshiva. “He asked me to put together a Chavurah,” she recalled. Pregnant at the time and short on bandwidth, she gathered neighbors and friends in her home, helping launch something intimate and grassroots.
“It was during Chanukah and we made the latkes ourselves,” she said. “No big production. We brought people together. It was really special.” As life shifted, Jennifer drifted away. “I just wasn’t involved at all,” she said. “You get busy, and for many reasons, I disconnected.”
Two years ago, something pulled her back. Scrolling through Instagram, she spotted a Challah Bake. “I didn’t even know The Jewish Experience was putting it on,” she said. “I just thought, this looks really fun.” She gathered friends, bought a table, and walked in without expectations.
That night, she watched Gila Ross teach.
“Sometimes you meet someone really special, and I thought, I want to be connected to her and to The Jewish Experience again because of her.”
“I was mesmerized,” Jennifer said. “It was crowded and big, but I remember thinking, I want to know her better.” A few weeks later, Gila came to Jennifer’s home to lead a challah bake for her sisters and friends. “Sometimes you meet someone really special,” she reflected. “And I thought, I want to be connected to her and to The Jewish Experience again because of her.”
Since reconnecting, Jennifer has been intentional about inviting others along. “Every person I tell about it is so appreciative,” she said. “Whether they’ve done one Jewish thing in their life or they’ve been involved before, everyone is grateful to reconnect.”
She also found unexpected joy serving on the Challah Bake Committee. “I hate meetings,” she admitted with a laugh. “But I loved these.” Getting to know a new circle of women felt meaningful.
Hosting Gila in her home became a turning point. Jennifer reached out to friends she hadn’t seen in years. “They all said yes,” she said. “They all loved meeting Gila.” It marked a reconnection not just to Jewish learning, but to relationships she had missed. “At this stage of life, it added meaning when there was a void,” Jennifer reflected. “It was so needed.”
When asked how she would describe Women’s Experience, she didn’t hesitate. “It’s a very accepting, very inclusive environment,” she said. “Everything feels brand new. I love learning.”
For Jennifer, The Jewish Experience is more than something she helped start or later rediscovered. It is a living community that continues to bring people together, exactly when they need it most.
