I became a Bar Mitzvah because both of my parents, and my grandfathers on both sides of my family, became B-nei Mitzvahs. But, even without consulting my parents, I would still have become a Bar Mitzvah. Being a Bar Mitzvah means becoming a Jewish adult in our faith. It is a tradition for most Jewish children to become B’nei Mitzvah at the age of 13. I am glad that I chose to do this because my friends and family have supported me throughout this endeavor, and I now feel a greater connection to everyone, including God. During my experience, I learned many Hebrew prayers, different streams of Judaism in Sheva, and the theology of Judaism. Being Jewish means being different. I love standing out from everybody else and teaching others about my religion. After my Bar Mitzvah, I would like to tutor B’nei Mitzvah students as they study and learn Hebrew to prepare for their special day and volunteer during Religious School.

For my Mitzvah project, I worked at the Cyzner Institute and fulfilled the mitzvah of helping others with disabilities. Cyzner Institute is a day school for students with autism and other neurological and behavioral needs where they can get 1 on 1 teaching and gain social skills within a class of students similar to their own age.  I love to work with the students with their classwork and to play games with them outside. I typically work with the younger kids in the preschool and elementary school, but I sometimes work with the older students as well. We play games, work on math, spell words, and build objects out of Legos. The staff and students are always nice, and we always have a great time.

Adam is the son of Ronnie and Lisa Cyzner and the brother of Ben Cyzner. He is the grandson of Ms. Judy Jacobson of Ft. Mill, SC, Dr. Howard Jacobson of Greenville, SC, and Walter and the late Judy Cyzner of Yonkers, NY.

Words of mazel tov can be sent to lcyzner@yahoo.com.