How Faith Strengthens Relationships: Romaree F. Herbert

Romaree's journey in her Jewish faith took a winding road—from feeling disconnected with her Reform upbringing in El Paso to renewed interest while experiencing antisemitism in Germany. She was in college when she decided to go to Israel to attend an Orthodox seminary for girls—an experience that led her to greater spirituality and connection with her faith.

Now practicing a more Conservative faith, Romaree finds saying the Shema Yisrael prayer calms her and brings her back to center in anxious times. The principles she read in The Committed Life by Rebbetzin Esther Junreis strengthened her marriage. And she sees divine providence, hashgachah pratis, in every aspect of her life. "Nothing is a coincidence. . . If you have the ability to see past it being a coincidence, you will see that God puts these things in your path, and it's up to you as a soul, as a human, to grab onto that and be guided. That is how I live my life. It think everything is guided by God and his divineness."

You can see Romaree in the documentary "The People of the Crossing: The Jews of El Paso" by filmmaker Isaac Artenstein. (Link is to a preview, not the full-length film.)