“The Wandering Jew Who Finally Found Home”
For years, Beth called herself “the wandering Jew.”
She wasn’t wandering away from Judaism. Quite the opposite. She was searching for a place where it finally felt like she belonged.
A Denver native, Beth says she “always felt deeply connected to Hashem.” She raised three sons in the Jewish community, celebrated the holidays, and carried her Judaism with her throughout her life. But somewhere along the way, she realized she was missing something.
“I wanted a spiritual connection. I wanted to learn. I wanted a rabbi I could actually call when life got hard.”
Then life handed her a painful situation that left her feeling broken. More than anything, she wanted guidance. She wanted someone to talk to. She wanted to understand her Judaism on a deeper level than she ever had before.
“I remember thinking, ‘Beth, let’s get real. You don’t know as much as you think you do.'”
She prayed for direction.
The answer came in a way she never would have expected.
Not through a sermon. Or a rabbi.
Through a paint class.
An email from The Jewish Experience invited her to spend an evening painting. She almost didn’t go. In fact, she admits she was intimidated by TJE. She imagined it might be “too Orthodox,” too unfamiliar, too different from where she’d come from.
Instead, she found herself sitting beside two women, both named Beth, talking about life and learning. Before the evening was over, they convinced her to give Gila Ross’s Monday morning class a try.
“It started at 8:45,” she laughed. “I remember thinking that was awfully early.”
She came anyway.
That first class didn’t give Beth all the answers she thought she was looking for.
It gave her something better.
“What Gila somehow manages to do is take Torah that’s thousands of years old and make it exactly what you needed to hear that day.”
Week after week, the lessons weren’t just about ancient history. They were about marriage, friendship, grief, purpose, family, and the challenges everyone quietly carries into the room. Without ever becoming therapy, the class somehow spoke directly to what each person needed.
Along the way, something else happened.
Beth stopped feeling like she was searching alone.
“I’ve found a kinship with the women in these classes that I don’t think I’ve experienced anywhere else.”
The place that had once felt intimidating quickly became the place she most looked forward to each week.
“I’ve never once felt unwelcome,” she said. “I’ve always felt safe here.”
That feeling eventually spilled into the rest of her family. After her youngest son returned to Denver following his professional baseball career, Beth introduced him to Olami. Before long, he had found his own community, his own friendships, and another reason for Beth to smile.
Looking back, Beth laughs at how wrong her first impression was.
“I thought I was going to find something too Orthodox for me,” she said. “Instead, I found people who simply wanted to help me grow.”
When asked what The Jewish Experience has given her, she paused for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“I feel like I have a warm blanket around me that I didn’t have before.”
It’s a beautiful image, but maybe that’s because it isn’t really about a building or a class.
It’s about finally finding a place where your soul can exhale.
And for someone who spent years wandering, that’s exactly what coming home feels like.
Beth’s journey began with one invitation to Gila’s class. You never know where your first step might lead.
