They struggled to find their own place in history, their own place in Judaism. Many of them became very religious and as soon as I retired, before I retired, for about two years before I retired, I started learning Torah. I also taught myself Hebrew, to read, and understand and I started taking classes and learning very much like they did, in private apartments with a private teacher and [I] started this network of adult education classes.

It was a Friday night and suddenly we were alone in Kiev, pretty much alone. I was the national president of the Union of Councils for ten years. I was seen as a leader. And here I was... what kind of a Jewish leader was I? It was Shabbos and I didn't know what Shabbos was, really. I mean I knew you light candles, but what was a Jewish leader? Suddenly I had a tremendous sense of shame. It was an awful feeling. I remember it completely. I felt a tremendous sense of shame. I came home and I didn't know where to begin. The rabbi who I am still learning with called and asked me if I wanted to learn. So it came from, it came from my contact in Russia.

How to Cite This Page
For a bibliography: Jewish Women's Archive. "Jewish Women's Archive - Women Who Dared - Pamela Cohen on JEWISH VALUES." <http://jwa.org/exhibits/wwd/jsp/fullAnswer.jsp>.

For a footnote: Jewish Women's Archive, "Jewish Women's Archive - Women Who Dared - Pamela Cohen on JEWISH VALUES," <http://jwa.org/exhibits/wwd/jsp/fullAnswer.jsp>.