My favorite thing about being Jewish is being able to say words in Hebrew around my friends who don’t understand  and then teach them what they mean (when I can). I like the fact that I can BE Jewish, out in the open, and that if people make fun of me I can stand up for myself and know that in America, we are all supposed to be able to practice our religions freely. I like being able to come to Temple Beth El and have awesome people help me learn and pray and answer my questions.

For me, becoming bat mitzvah means the end of a long hard process that has been really stressful for me and my family at times. But it also means the beginning of something – becoming bat mitzvah means I can consider myself older because I have done something mature. From now on, I count as part of a minyan and am able to come up to the bima for an aliyah.

As I was preparing for my bat mitzvah, I learned that when I focus, I am able to teach others and think deeply about big ideas. I also learned that when I decide to do something and put in the time and effort to work hard, I can succeed.

Ari Swartz is the daughter of Heide Swartz and Mark Swartz. She is the sister of Hudson Swartz. She is the granddaughter of Ira Swartz and Helen Drouin. Notes of mazel tov can be sent to Ari at alexthearrogant@gmail.com.