Becoming a Bat Mitzvah means becoming an adult in the Jewish community. That thought can be scary at times but it also holds a lot of honor and responsibility. I have spent years attending Religious School preparing for this moment in my life. I gained a lot in Sheva class, including important and interesting knowledge of Judaism, long-lasting friendships, and amazing teachers. As a Jewish adult, I hope to assist teachers during Sunday school as a madricha, volunteer at important events, continue to help the homeless, and attend Temple services on a regular basis. I want to continue learning interesting facts about stories in the Torah and my religion. I plan to attend Hebrew High and make more unforgettable memories along with celebrating important holidays with friends and family. And one day, I plan to explain the meaning of Judaism and hopefully pass my faith on to my children. Being Jewish means believing in my religion, being proud of it, and living it on a daily basis. It means having responsibilities in the Jewish community and believing in the stories in the Torah. I am so excited to share my service with you all!
My Bat Mitzvah project focused on helping homeless people. I chose this project because a lot of people judge or mistreat the homeless as lower class citizens or as not important and that is not right. Everyone deserves respect. I volunteered in different ways for my Bat Mitzvah project. I helped set up and serve at two soup kitchens here in Charlotte. As I served the people there I also got to talk with them. They were all very sweet and appreciative. Two men whom I served lunch to and eventually sat with, to eat were very nice and we talked about our dislike of cauliflower and our love of Brussels Sprouts! They later told the leader that I was “the best waitress they had ever had.” I am also volunteering at RunningWorks. Their mission is “to use sport to empower individuals and families to break the cycles of abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness – one stride at a time.” They believe that running helps people feel like they have accomplished something and also gives them a sense of pride. So now I get to combine my love of running with a mitzvah that really means something to me! I also helped make promotional videos for a new program by Girls on the Run for middle school girls called “Heart and Sole.” Heart and Sole, like GOTR, helps girls develop life skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Through doing my Mitzvah Projects, I fulfilled the mitzvot of helping those less fortunate than I am, removing the stumbling block from before the blind, and feeding the hungry.
Hannah is the daughter of Jeff and Pam. She is the granddaughter of: Vivian and Dr. Herman Birkner, of Sarasota, Florida; Betty Cohen, of Tampa, Florida, and Dr. Lawrence Cohen, of blessed memory.
Please send wishes of Mazal Tov to: hrcohen2003@gmail.com
