My favorite thing about being Jewish is celebrating Chanukah (because I like getting presents!) The rest of the holidays are cool, too. To me, becoming a bat mitzvah means I am a Jewish adult, which means I have my own responsibilities in the Jewish community now, like helping others in need and getting a little more serious about how I celebrate the holidays.

I learned that becoming a bat mitzvah is hard – practicing Hebrew every day took more time and energy than I had thought it would. I liked hanging out with people during Sheva – they’re pretty funny.

For my mitzvah project, I donated food and blankets to the Humane Society. I really like animals and wanted to find a way to help make sure they were comfortable and that they always had something to eat. I felt happy that I got to contribute to the animals the Human Society is keeping safe.

Jaime Burrell is the daughter of Rachel and Jeff Burrell. She is the sister of Ryan Burrell. She is the granddaughter of Diane Axelrod and Bob Lindenbaum of Philadelphia, PA.  Send notes of mazal tov.