Kathy Hirstâ??s daughters Rebekah and Tori, now in their early 20s, had their bat mitzvahs when they were 13, typical for girls in their Reform community. But Hirst herself hadnâ??t had a bat mitzvah when she was their age; sheâ??d only converted to Judaism at age 27 when she got married.
Two years ago, when Hirst got divorced and her 50th birthday was looming, she decided it was time to have a bat mitzvah of her own. â??I only converted because I was getting married,â? the now-52-year-old Hirst told me recently, â??but the net result has been that Iâ??ve been really involved in the community for a long time and wanted to publicly acknowledge that.â? So, after nine months studying in the evenings, the criminal barrister from north London stood up in front of a full congregation at the Finchley Reform Synagogue to read her Torah portion and give her dâ??var Torah. Rebekah was there to cheer her along, and Tori, on tour in Israel, streamed the ceremony on a video link. The experience, and support from the congregation, Hirst said, were â??life-affirming.â?
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