Becoming a Bat Mitzvah means a lot to me because I’m continuing an important family tradition, and it means that I’m now seen as an adult in the Jewish community. I feel like I’m a real teenager and not a little kid anymore. I worked hard to prepare for this day. I learned all the prayers and how to chant/sing them, and I learned to read my Torah portion. My many years in religious school and Hebrew school helped me to prepare for this day by teaching me about Judaism and what it means to be Jewish. Preparing for my Bat Mitzvah was a big challenge and I feel happy and proud of my accomplishment. This whole process has made me feel even more at home at Temple Beth El; I feel connected with my friends in LIBERTY and Hebrew High, and I’m excited to participate more in NFTY where I can meet Jewish teens from other southern cities. After my Bat Mitzvah, I plan on being a madricha for B’nei Mitzvah tutoring.

To me, being Jewish means doing good deeds to help people and engaging in Tikkun Olam, which means helping to repair the world. For my mitzvah project, I volunteered at the Shalom Park Freedom School. The Freedom School is a summer program for economically disadvantaged kids. The program teaches these kids reading and math skills while having summer fun. I helped the teachers with getting the classrooms ready, chaperoned a few field trips, lead an art activity with other teens, served nutritious meals to the kids, and helped with parent meetings.  I learned so much from this experience and had a fun time getting to know the kids, teachers, and other volunteers. I chose this project because I like working with kids and I wanted to help those who are less fortunate than I am. I learned that taking the time to help others can have a good impact on them and can also make a big difference in the world. I fulfilled the mitzvah of helping those in need. I hope to pass on these traditions to my children in the future.

Samantha is the daughter of Michael and Eileen Davis. She is the granddaughter of Dr. Jose and Susana Fuertes of Holland, Michigan, and the late Ralph and Ilene Davis of Oak Park, Michigan. Samantha is the sister of Rachael.
Words of Mazel Tov can be sent to fuervis@gmail.com