Born to a Christian family in Prince George, British Columbia, Barclay converted to Judaism as an adult.
She was born Alison Barclay in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, to a Christian family.
While she was using her calligraphy skills to write Jewish marriage contracts (ketubot), she spent many months trying to find a scribe willing to teach her the ancient art and its many laws.
[9] Barclay's Torah scroll was adorned with two crowns, a mantle, a breastplate, and attached to wooden poles fashioned by other female artists.
[1] Barclay's "personal spiritual journey" that led her to Judaism and to writing a Torah scroll is the subject of the 48-minute television documentary Soferet: A Special Scribe.