Allen Freedman and his wife Devra Abend Freedman were born and raised as Jews. They met and married at University of California at Berkeley in January 1962. From there they went to Corvallis, Oregon, and the Oregon State University where Allen got his Ph.D in Mathematics in 1965 and their first child was born.

 

While in Corvallis Oregon Devra had been given a book on Hatha Yoga by her mother in law, but it was the words of Swami Vivekananda at the end of the book that began their search and captured their hearts. They ultimately bought The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and that sealed their love and commitment to Vedanta, Thakur, Ma and Swamiji.

 

The Freedman family then moved to Simon Fraser University in British Columbia Canada where Allen had been hired. Their second son was born there.

 

Eventually they found the Vedanta Society in Seattle and knew that they were home at last. Swami Vividishananda initiated them and their life long association began.  They soon moved from British Columbia to Seattle to be closer to the Vedanta Society.