My favorite thing about being Jewish is learning how our ancestors kept our religion alive and how they helped us get to be here today. I also love how we celebrate the holidays with all my family, and of course delicious food. But most of all, I love how being Jewish is all about passing traditions down from one generation to another. Becoming a Bar Mitzvah means that I am becoming a Jewish adult. I now have responsibilities to my faith and my community.

For my mitzvah project I am going to be working with an organization called Sandbox. It’s an organization where I volunteer my time to help out families that have children with severe illnesses. I chose the Sandbox because I have seen first-hand what this organization does to help those in need. They have come out several times to my neighbor’s house to work on their house, (painting, yard work, etc.) while they were in Philadelphia with their daughter who right now is at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). As I get older, I plan to keep Judaism close to me by attending services, celebrating Shabbat and the other Jewish holidays. I also plan to become a member of AZA.

Dylan is the son of David and Ruthanne Effren. He is the brother of Joey Effren. He is the grandson of Donald and Shiffie Effren, Yvonne Amato and Cheryl Effren, all of whom live in the Charlotte area! Send notes of mazal tov.