At Hillel Yeshiva, our 12 year old girls embark on a yearlong program of learning the importance of mitzvot and hesed. The lessons are discussed and presented at mother/daughter bat mitzvah workshops throughout the year. The theme of this year’s bat mitzvah program was olam hesed yibaneh (loving kindness builds the world). This year’s program was dedicated to Mr. Morris I. Franco A”H, the beloved chairman of the board of trustees and dear friend of the Hillel Yeshiva family.
This past November, the girls and their mothers participated in the bat mitzvah learning program. After learning about various mitzvot, the girls and their guests participated in an exciting game of Jeopardy with categories that included: the weekly parashah, the Jewish home, questions referring to each mother and daughter, women of the Torah, and Jewish holidays. At the conclusion of the game each team was able to “buy” prizes with the points they had earned by answering the questions correctly.
In December, as a continuation of the theme of “loving kindness” the 6th grade girls decorated sock puppets and pillowcases which they brought to sick children at the Jersey Shore Medical Center. Each child was given a puppet and a special pillowcase decorated with colorful get well messages. It was a gratifying experience for everyone who participated. The girls learned firsthand what a visit to a hospitalized child means and how special it makes the child feel. All the girls were so enthusiastic! It was wonderful to see the smiles on the faces of both the patients and the students.
Throughout the bat mitzvah year the girls continued to learn about the importance of performing mitzvot and doing hesed. In January, the girls attended a hands-on challah baking session at the home of Rabbi and Mrs. Saul Kassin. The aroma of freshly baked challah permeated the air as the girls packaged the loaves for Bikur Holim.
“It is very reassuring seeing the class participate in acts of hesed in a very natural, exciting, and genuine manner. I was honored to participate in the challah baking and the food pantry drive. It really touched my heart,” said Terri Saka’s grandmother, Mrs. Terri Douek.
In their continuous quest for doing hesed, the bat mitzvah class organized a cake sale and 50/50 raffle in March at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Elbaum. All the money raised was designated to provide groceries for needy members of the greater Deal community. The class went to the supermarket and purchased enough groceries to fill numerous shopping carts. They then took the food to the Sephardic Bikur Holim Pantry where they stocked the shelves of both the regular and Passover pantry with their purchases. The parent-daughter package party in May, hosted at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Saka, raised additional money for the Sephardic Bikur Holim.
The bat mitzvah year ended with the spectacular bat mitzvah intergenerational brunch for mothers, grandmothers and the bat mitzvah girls. The mothers read loving tributes that their daughters had written to them. During the celebration Mrs. Shari Sutton, Renee Sutton’s mother was moved to exclaim, “it’s a wonderful experience to watch my daughter grow into a young lady!”
Head of School, Dr. Ruth Katz, ELC to 8th grade, greeted everyone with pleasure. Mrs. Helaine Mizrahi, from Bikur Holim, saluted the girls for all their hard work. She complimented the mothers and grandmothers for being wonderful role models and commended Hillel Yeshiva for giving the girls an opportunity to put their values into practice. She then presented Dr. Katz with an award.
Special thanks to the bat mitzvah event coordinator, Morah Rivka Schor. Mazal tov to the bat mitzvah girls of 2011: Sharon Betesh, Rebecca Braverman, Celia Cohen, Lorraine Cohen, Marisa Cohen, Sara Dweck, Karen Elbaum, Gabrielle Franco, Jacqueline Franco, Rebecca Gartenberg, Isabella Gopin, Pearl Hanono, Terry Jemal, Ronni Kassin, Sari Kassin, Germaine Menahem, Layla Rudy, Terri Saka, Claire Salama, Frieda Sasson, Sarah Shamie, Leah Shamosh, Renea Sutton, Victoria Swed, and Ruth Tawil.
IMAGE Magazine would also like to wish all the girls mazal tov and very happy futures.
