The start of my Jewish history begins in Poland. About 100 years ago, my Great Grandfather, Sam, moved from Warsaw to Brooklyn. Sixty-two years ago, my Grandfather, Ira, had his bar mitzvah. Twenty-eight years ago, my Dad, Pete, had his. Now, I’m the first in a new generation continuing the Jewish tradition. When I was 3, I started at The Charlotte Jewish Preschool. Then, there were seven years of Religious School, four years of Hebrew School, five months of tutoring, four meetings for my speech writing, and two rehearsals. Just having my Bat Mitzvah is a great accomplishment. But the fact that I get to celebrate in Israel, the homeland of the Jews, will be something I will never forget. I wanted to go to Israel because I love to travel. I love discovering new places, trying new foods, and exploring new cultures. I love being Jewish because it’s unique and distinctive. I love sharing stories and traditions with my friends about Judaism. In fact, in second grade, I told my friend about holidays such as Hanukah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. When she went home that day, she told her parents that she wanted to be Jewish.

For my Bat Mitzvah project, I started a tutoring program at my school. I recruited three of my friends to start tutoring kindergarteners two days a week during our recess. We helped those who were struggling and those who were advanced. We brought them to our school library and we read, we wrote, and we worked on their assignments. I always got excited when I saw that my tutoring was making a difference in the kids.

After my Bat Mitzvah, I want to help out the temple and continue working with younger kids. I want to be a madricha and work with grades K-2. I also want to go to Hebrew High. And one day, I will encourage my kids to have a B’nei Mitzvah and start a new generation of Jews.

Stella is the daughter of Michelle and Peter. She is the granddaughter of Judy and Ira Smolowitz and Jean and Dick Crouch. She has two siblings: Rosie and Ben.
Words of Mazel Tov can be sent to mcrouch7@yahoo.com