A Ruth for Our Time

I’m not sure any words will ever feel like enough to truly reflect what’s in my heart. But, as my Savta once wrote, ‘Words don’t come easily to me / And I don’t know where to start.’ And yet I want to try.

I have been so privileged to grow up surrounded by the most incredible female role models. Their influence has shaped who I am today and how I navigate through this perfectly imperfect world.

Today is the yahrzeit of my Savta. Although she is no longer with us, I still feel her presence every single day. I carry so many fond memories of her, especially how much we used to write together. I think we even started writing a children’s book once! I’m sure child me didn’t write anything of substance… But I would love to find those pages someday.

She also had the most incredible capacity to love, caring for others with a fierceness I will never forget. Although she converted to Judaism, she embodied it with every fibre of her being. Her love for our way of life and beliefs was truly something to behold. In many ways she was a modern day Ruth, her move to Israel only deepened that expression of devotion. She was a force to be reckoned with, the biggest advocate for our people and for peace.

I think of her often, especially now as I embark on this Shtetl Scribe journey and try to figure out my place in the world.

She wrote this for me on my Bat Mitzvah, and I am sharing it today not only in her memory, but as a blessing I continue to carry forward:

I don’t know how to say what’s deep within my heart

Words don’t come easily to me

And I don’t know where to start

So I thought I’d write a poem

It’s simple and it’s true

To say how much I love you

Just for being ‘You’

I’m so proud to be your Savta

And so blessed to watch you grow

Into the beautiful young woman

I have come to know

You’re so special Leah

With wisdom far beyond your years

That will hold you up and see you through

The laughter and the tears

But more much more than all these gifts

On the inside too

Your heart is kind and tender

This I love about you

Leah you’re standing here today

Because ‘you’ made a choice

Today ‘you’ have a voice

Daughter of the Commandment

That’s what Bat Mitzvah means

Today you’re choosing to obey

The truth that you believe

I thank G-d for creating you

And for bringing me to this place

All this way from Israel

To see you face-to-face

Leah my precious granddaughter

My prayer for you today

Is for a life of wisdom

Truth, and love

In every single way

Her story threads itself quietly through mine, reminding me that our ancestors live in the words we choose to write. I hope I can do justice to the legacy she left behind.

I hope I can make her proud.

May her memory be a blessing.

זיכרונה לברכה