My favorite thing about being Jewish is challah. I really love it – it’s the perfect mix of fluffy and yummy. To me, becoming a Bar Mitzvah means that I should be getting more freedoms because I’m transitioning into being an adult.

Preparing for my Bar Mitzvah taught me that although things are hard at first, if you keep doing them and keep practicing, they will get easier and easier. Normally, I would push things aside or put them off if there was something I didn’t want to do…even if it was something that I had to do. Preparing for my Bar Mitzvah forced me to realize that what my parents and sister have said all along is true – things get easier the more you do them and you will continue to improve as long as you continue to try.

Jesse is the son of Lori and Keith Handler and the brother of Alexis. Jesse’s Grandparents are Penny Fierstein (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), Audrey and Seymour Handler (Boynton Beach, FL), and Norman and Laura Veis (Durham, NC). Please send messages of mazel tov to Lori.