Orit Esther Riter loves the story of Rocky Balboa.
She lives in Israel, but visits the United States regularly. She raised her kids relatively close to Philadelphia in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, in the north part of the state. And yet, she never knew that Rocky was a Philadelphian.
So, when she found out that the movie “Rocky” is a Philly story, she knew that the 40-day challenge she was creating for Jewish women could only end in one way and in one place: with said women climbing the steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, just as Balboa did in the titular 1976 film.
On Aug. 5, around 50 women did just that, following 40 days of self-discovery and personal improvement all themed around the legendary fighter played by Sylvester Stallone.
“I have always been inspired by Rocky Balboa,” Riter said. “I’ve always felt it very inspiring to see how a man could go from just an image of an aspiration and really bring it to fruition. The whole concept is very heartfelt, and together with the concept of where the Jewish people are right now — in a place where we’re mourning for this redemption to unfold and feel finally that we’re able to really be our true selves — Rocky seems to embody that concept of feeling lost and alone and unsure. He just fights, and fights and fights.”
Riter is the founder and leader of Or Emuna, a nonprofit women’s organization that focuses on spiritual growth. She holds classes grounded in faith that rise from her own personal journey battling multiple sclerosis.
Inspired by Rocky, she asked Jewish women around the world to band together in late June and spend 40 days working to love themselves, let go of fear, deepen their faith and forgive themselves for past transgressions. The event, which garnered more than a hundred participants, was anchored by a motivational group text and began just days after Tisha B’Av. That marked the culmination of the Three Weeks, which is a spiritually heavy time in the Jewish calendar that honors the destruction of the Holy Temple.
For Farah Nikfar, who lives in Great Neck, New York, and joined the group in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the 40 days was a chance to learn more about herself and bask in the presence of other women.
“Every day, [Riter] sent us some words of encouragement and knowledge to follow up on our own goals. It’s very much encouraging, and she [gave] us tips to practice mediation,” she said.
Rachel Wormeli has been a follower of Riter for years, and now she works with her. She participated in the challenge, and she said that the messaging of it appealed to a large swath of Jewish women.
“This is something that’s deeply passionate to me. The idea of a 40-day challenge is something I’ve participated in numerous times over my life, each with its own profound effect. The idea here of blending the secular, well-known iconic image of Rocky Balboa [is helpful]. I grew up not religious, and that’s a very familiar icon for me, [and blending him] with very profound kabbalistic Torah teaching is particularly exciting,” she said.
Riter said before the group climbed the steps that she expected the mood to be wonderful upon completion. The act will resemble the famous movie scene in more than just a visual sense, too. The group brought a speaker with them, blasting the iconic “Rocky” theme song as they climbed the art museum’s steps.
“I think it is going to be very, very high and very awesome,” she said before the event, speaking about the mood of the group. “That whole idea of just having that anthem playing in the background, I’m hoping for myself and for everybody else [that we’ll feel] that when you aspire for something, when you aspire to really reach a certain challenge of your life and even if it’s just for one moment, you’ll feel like ‘I gave it my all. I may not be able to hold on to it for more than just a moment, but I gave it my all. I fought for myself. I fought for this value of mine.’”
Every woman chose something to focus on each day. Nikfar said her goal was to become more consistent in reading Tehillah and to be consistent in worshipping Hashem.
“I was working on myself, but since I [was] in this group, it gets me motivated and more confident and happy,” Nikfar said.
Wormeli said the message of this challenge doesn’t just apply to this group of several dozen Jewish women — it can mean something profound to the Jewish people as a whole, especially right now.
“Everything about it, it’s just powerful. If you want it, you go up and get it. And it doesn’t matter how hard it is, and it doesn’t matter how many people are in your corner. You need one or two good people to share in your struggles and support you unconditionally,” she said. “And then you just don’t give up. And that message of just never giving up is really how Rocky came into the picture.”
For Riter, there is one difference between the famous scene from “Rocky” and what her group of women did on Tuesday: Rocky was alone. These women accomplished the challenge as a group, and they climbed the stairs the same way.
“It’s all about knowing that if I’m down today and you’re up, you’ll help me. I’ll help you. We’re together. We’re in this together. That’s the importance of this challenge,” she said.
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