Rivka/Introduction

The child of divorce, Rivka's parents split shortly after she was born. Her mother, pushed by family obligations and a growing sense of religious zeal, moved away from Rivka's father to the burgeoning orthodox Jewish community of Eastern Providence, Rhode Island. She spent her developing years moving from the Providence Hebrew Day School to the New England Academy of Torah, Rivka was a precocious child who loved to dance and sing.

Surely you remember meeting someone like Rivka in school. Positive to the N'th degree, pretty, popular and always in some play or writing some article for the school newspaper. Like some strange being from another dimension, everything seemed to be easy for her, everything about her seemed just so unbelievably perfect surely there was something she was hiding from the world. Some terrible addiction or horrible secret. Whatever it was, if anything, never seemed to manifest as she glided through her formative years.

Her over abundant participation in extra-curricular activities and physical acumen earned her a scholarship to Columbia, right up until the proverbial rug was pulled out from under her.

As Rivka grew closer to graduating High school, her mother's religious observation began to increase to the point the modern orthodox society they lived in began to chaff at her very soul. In a sudden act of zeal, Rivka's mother, the day after her graduation from High school, announced she would be taking advantage of the law of return, and move to Israel to join an Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community.

Shocked by this sudden turn of events Rivka soon found her childhood home sold, and Rivka left to fend for herself as her mother abandoned her for her own selfish pursuits. Couch surfing and staying with various families from Temple, Rivka lost her ability to take advantage of the scholarship she'd earned. Left with only one option, Rivka utilized what ever assistance she could get from her community and went in search of her family on the West Coast.