My favorite things about being Jewish are the holidays and history. I enjoy the holidays because they have history, and I like coming together with community to celebrate holidays and pray to God. We have had to overcome a lot of challenges throughout the centuries and we are one of the oldest religions to make it this far. For me, becoming a bar mitzvah means to become a Jewish man and make sure I follow the customs and be an example for younger people.

In Sheva we talked a lot about history and customs, and prayed a lot together, which gave me time to spend in community with my peers.

For my mitzvah project, I went to a soup kitchen in Uptown Charlotte where they feed the homeless every Tuesday and Friday. My mom and I went to the soup kitchen to pass out food and box up food to give to people to take with them. It felt good to help people out and to see how thankful they were.

Now that I am a Jewish adult, I will continue to practice my Judaism with my parents, and one day with my own family.