In this the fourth in a series of autobiographical works (Lost and Found, Coming to Terms, and In Confidence) Roberta Israeloff describes her return to Judaism at age 39. She recalls that the most religious person in her family was a grandmother from Riga, Latvia, whose faith seemed to rest on negations — don't do this and don't do that. Although her father eventually wound up attending Friday night services, Israeloff had little use for rabbis, viewing them as "those posturing men full of platitudes."
Anticipating her son's bar mitzvah and his need to attend Hebrew school, she joins a synagogue of about 200 families in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. Although she skips attending religious services, Israeloff is active on a social action committee and then becomes secretary to the board of trustees. Camaraderie with others is basically what she discovers when she returns to her Jewish roots. In addition, Israeloff's work on her son's bar mitzvah service reconnects her to the faith of her grandmother and father. The author's rekindling of her religious heritage is a story that will resonate with many middle agers who are involved in the same journey.