Ty will celebrate his bar mitzvah on July 6 in the Bahamas.

My favorite thing about being Jewish is that it adds to my ever-expanding list of things that make me different from the average person. I mean, like, I already was different enough, so I decided to be happy about being different. To me, becoming a bar mitzvah means becoming more accountable, and also a long title that my friends can’t pronounce and they think is relatively cool.

I plan to continue my Jewish studies by volunteering at my local temple as a tutor. During my time at Hebrew school, I have learned more about myself as a Jewish person. I have also learned that, if I put my mind to it, I can pretty much get anything done.

Ty Fischel is the son of Cynthia and Richard Fischel. He is the brother of Sabrina Fischel. Messages of mazel tov can be sent to tmf21404@gmail.com