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For the 3rd consecutive year, Areyvut developed a Bnai Mitzvah Program that included a Bnai Mitzvah Fair for the 6th graders and their parents at Temple Beth Abraham in Tarrytown, NY. On March 11th, students got the chance to find out how they can incorporate chesed into their Bnai Mitzvah celebrations. The enthusiasm that filled the room proved that the event was a huge success.
The program began with a brief introduction on the importance of including social action in a bar or bat mitzvah celebration and the various ways to do that. Students and their parents then participated in an activity that addressed Jewish leaders and heroes. The activity provided an opportunity for students and their parents to reflect on their values, interests and to help focus them on their project and to put their Mitzvah Projects in a context. After, representatives from several local volunteer organizations greeted participants and shared ways to become involved in their work. The organizations that were represented at the fair included: American Red Cross of Westchester, Friendship Circle, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, Mitzvah Knitz, Raising Awareness Destination: Darfur, Sarah Neuman Center for Healthcare & Rehabilitation, Volunteer Center of United Way and Westchester Coalition for the Hungry and Homeless, Inc. Students also received literature from other organizations that were unable to attend the fair, so that each student will be able to find a project that meets their individual needs.
In conclusion of the fair, students and parents had the chance to hear from three students who have done successful meaningful chesed projects of their own. The students described their project, why they did it, what it entailed, how it added to their celebration and answered questions from students and parents. Project ideas being promoted covered a broad range of interests including working with disabled children, knitting blankets for needy babies in Israel, feeding the homeless and raising awareness of the genocide in Darfur. Areyvut staff members were available to help participants choose a program to meet their needs and think out of the box to find projects that speak to their individual personalities.
Students and parents left the fair with many new project ideas to think about and organization representatives were excited about the prospect of working with such an enthusiastic group of students.
If you are interested in arranging a Bnai Mitzvah Program or Fair in your community, please contact Daniel Rothner at daniel@areyvut.org or 201-244-6702.
To learn more about Temple Beth Abraham visit their website at www.tba-ny.org.
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