Teshuva – The Power of Redemption
By Aviva Wilford
On Wednesday 18th September, as part of our preparation for reflection over the Yomim Tovim, those privileged to be in the shul were mesmerised by the visit and life story of Derrick, a reformed drug dealer and prisoner. Unfortunately his colleague Omar was avoidably detained and could not join us.
Derrick was bought up be his mother on a south London estate and allowed to run wild. He wasn’t interested in school and found himself in the ‘wrong’ crowd. At 18 he was arrested and imprisoned on drugs charges and it happened again some years later. On his second term he was persuaded to be assessed to attend rehabilitation sessions and although very sceptical he tried it.
These sessions had a revolutionary effect on him, he began to realise that the world was not at war with him, he was responsible for his own actions, it wasn’t all because his mother didn’t show him love and affection, he realised he had been a very bad partner and father to his three children, disappearing for weeks on end, returning with a bundle of money and disappearing again. To him that was all that a father should do-provide money for their keep. he built confidence in himself and became a ‘complete’ person and very much incentivised by the prison privileges he gained.
On being released from Prison he moved with his family from South London to North London to avoid the bad crowd he had befriended, was prepared to do any job to earn money and began to build a new life.