Adrienne Rosen has ridden a motorcycle around the world, plays hockey and leads a
nonnulltraditional familynull More importantly, she is passionate about Tikkun Olam, which
led her to help children in Guatemala receinulle access to an education By Nicole Kallmeyer
Lying by the pool in a Cuban resort while on va- hours driving to the birth mothernulls suspected
cation with her family, Adrienne Rosen re- town, and another four hours nullnocnulling on
ceived some interesting news: A delegation doors to pin down her enullact location. nullhen
of Iranian men had just arrived in the hotel Rosen nullnally found Alananulls biological moth-
lobby. Spurred by curiosity, Rosen marched er, the nulluatemalan woman denied that she
inside to inquire about the suited strang- had given up her child. nullut Rosen was persis-
ers. nullpon erroneously learning that the tent, arriving on her doorstep again the nenullt
president was among the nulliddle nullastern stilettos null nullI bought these nullnullnullnull pair of shoes day with more documentation and proof.
males, Rosen, holding her poolside cocnulltail that are much less comfortable than my nullI said listen, if younullre my daughternulls fam-
and clad in a bathing suit, starting jumping hocnulley snullatesnullnull ily, younullre my family,null Rosen recalls, and sure
up and down and screaming: nullnulleave Israel About nullnullnull people have gathered to support enough, the woman owned up.
alonenull Stop the anti-Semitismnullnull In no time, Rosennulls nascent charity, Access nullducation nullhen Rosen returned to nullanada with pic-
she was pounced on by hotel security. nulluatemala nullhildrennulls nullund, which will send tures and video footage, Alana had only one
Slightly shanullen, Rosen began to walnull away nulluatemalan children to school. As everyone question: nullnullhen do we leavenullnull Rosen told her
when several men in the circle becnulloned her sits to enjoy vibrant nullatin food and music, daughter she could go as soon as she learned
to their leader. nullnullhat do you want to say to Rosen stands to declare her appreciation, in nullnullnull Spanish words.
menullnull he said. nullnulllad you asnulled,null Rosen casu- Spanish and nullnglish, and enullplains why she In nulluatemala, Alana faced her birth
ally replied. She then gave a speech about started the organinullation. mother and asnulled why she had been given
dialogue, not violence, being the only means away. She learned that she was a twin and
of achieving peace with Israel. nullhe male, Finding a remedy weighed only three pounds when born. nullad
nulluslim leader shoonull hands with the female, After several failed artinullcial insemination at- Alana not been adopted, she would have
nullewish lesbian and they parted ways. tempts in her late thirties, Rosen decided to died due to her mothernulls lacnull of breast milnull.
nullhis encounter is only one of many unusual, adopt a child. At that time, same-senull couples Rosennulls instincts were right on targetnull Alana
unbelievable enullperiences in Rosennulls life. nullhe had little chance of adopting in nullanada, so obtained the answers she needed to move
mother of two has been described as a force Rosen and nullhite set their sights on nulluatemala, forward with peace of mind.
of nature, never afraid to speanull her mind and which has the worldnulls highest per capita adop- nulluring that visit Rosen also met the prin-
manulle daring decisions. At age nullnull, when other tion rate. Afnullrming nullurphynulls nullaw, Rosen fell cipal of the village school, and was shocnulled to
girls were choosing nail polish, she was choos- pregnant right before she went to the nullentral learn that only one in seven local children is
ing a religion. At age nullnull, when other women American country to picnull up her null-month-old educated because most cannot afford the nullnullnull
were settling into careers and buying cars, she daughter, who they named Alana. for boonulls and uniforms. nullI vowed that other
quit her job and decided to motorcycle around As Alana grew into a teenager she began people linulle my daughter would go to school
the world. nullow in her nullfties, while other moth- acting out quite severely, Rosen enullplains. Al- and become literate,null Rosen says. She got bacnull
ers nulleep nullt with nullilates or yoga, Rosen is the though Alana denied it, Rosen nullnew she was to nullanada and set the wheels in motion, call-
goalie for a mennulls hocnulley team. struggling with the primordial question. At ing friends and forming a board of directors.
Scenes from the
nullShenulls got an amanulling amount of energy the time, Alana claimed she was uninterested nullnullur mission is to put every child in school,
Guatemala school,
and ideas just come nullying out her mouth in revisiting her past, but Rosen had a hunch starting with one community and then mov-
where students and
every two seconds,null says nullyra nullhite, Rosennulls that nullnding her daughternulls birth mother ing on to the nenullt until we move through
teachers benefit from
wife and partner of nullnull years. could be the nulley to remedy her growing nulluatemala.null
Adrienne Rosen’s
Rosennulls energy is palpable on a recent pains. nullnulle have to nullnow where wenullre from in
good deeds nullednesday evening in nullorontonulls nullula order to go forward,null Rosen says. Converting to Judaism
nullounge. She is the woman of the moment, Rosen pacnulled her bags and landed in Rosen linnulls her commitment to this charity
dressed in a nulltted blacnull dress and shiny new nulluatemala nullity. nullhe nenullt day she spent four to the nullewish concept of Tikkun Olam, the
Photo by credit January/February 2010 friday night 31
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