writing contest

Bar / Bat Mitzvah Contest Winners Are In!

Jewish Scene Magazine would like to congratulate every boy and girl who became a bar or bat mitzvah in the past 12 months. We’d especially like to thank those who participated in the 2010 First Annual Jewish Scene Bar/Bat Mitzvah Essay Contest “What My Bar or Bat Mitzvah Means to Me,” and congratulate our winners!

The judges and I enjoyed reading about how your lives have been changed by this unique learning and growing experience. We know how busy and hectic life has been while you prepare(d) for your special day and realize that entering the contest was an additional responsibility. We hope the experience was well worth it.

I’d like to thank our judges, Sandy and Rae Jean Lichterman of The Villages, Fla.; and Judy Holzer, David Katz and Sharon Prager of Memphis.

We had some really great prizes! Please support the sponsors that made this contest possible.

We hope that after seeing these well-written and creative entries that others will be inspired to enter and our number of participants will continue to grow each year. So if you are becoming a bar or bat mitzvah in 2010, get out those thinking caps and start thinking about entering next year’s contest.

Please enjoy reading the top three winning essays.

FIRST PLACE

Prize: $250 Parmasters Gift Certificate Sponsored by: The Beach Club Resort, Gulf Shores, AL

“What Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Means to Me”

By Joshua Stern

My decision to become a bar mitzvah was made by me alone. It wasn't a requirement or an expectation in my family. My Bar Mitzvah will be on April 17, 2009, at Temple Israel. I just began learning Hebrew this past January. To become a Bar Mitzvah has changed me by becoming closer with G-d and taking higher responsibilities in my actions and having a mitzvah project has made me more appreciative of how good my life is.

I have found comfort and happiness and have a developed a strong connection with G-d. I caught myself singing my prayers and realized the joy inside of myself from the sound and spirit. I know that there is much preparation for this special occasion. The process has really been between me and myself.

Inside myself, I questioned if I could really prepare myself with all the learning ahead of me, especially since I just began learning Hebrew six months ago. I wondered if I had the commitment and discipline that it would take. So I began my study with one my favorite teachers and mentors, Morah Sharon Knafo, not really knowing what was to become of it. After I learned my aliyah, I had no doubt in myself and officially committed myself. I grew from this process because I realized that I could stick with something, that my Judaism is important to me, and that my Jewish education is influencing me to go the extra mile within myself. I realized that this is a sign of maturity and respect for myself, as well as an obligation which the Torah commands.

A Bar Mitzvah project is something in which I help other people and show what Jewish people do for one another and for others who can't help themselves. For my bar mitzvah project I am going to have a book drive for the needy. To do good acts of kindness in my community makes me feel grown up and proud of myself in the real world.

As I study and learn to become bar mitzvah I see and feel the changes of maturity that are occurring around and within me. Making the decision to be a bar mitzvah was one of the best decisions I have made so far in my personal and spiritual Jewish life, and I am very proud of myself.

Joshua was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and lived there until the age of 8. He attended Punahou School (where President Obama attended as well as Steve Case of AOL). He spent the next 3 ½ years in Burlington, VT, where he was an avid snowboarder. He has a 14-year-old sister, Caroline, who lives in Vermont with Josh’s dad. Joshua is in the 7th grade at Bornblum Solomon Schechter School. He lives with his mom, Susan, and grandmother (Barbara Danciger). Josh enjoys skateboarding, bowling, tennis and playing cards with his family.

SECOND PLACE

Prize: $250 Parmasters Gift Certificate Sponsored by: Chalet Village, Gatlinburg, TN

“What Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Means to Me”

By Aaron Canales

Photo © Alex Ginsburg Photographics

My Bar Mitzvah was held October 17, 2009. That day was very meaningful to me, but the days leading up to it were just as important. I started my studying at Beth Sholom Synagogue a year before my Bar Mitzvah with the Cantor there. A week or two into my studying, the Cantor left the synagogue, and I began studying with Rabbi Rubenstein. I became more connected to G-D throughout my studies. Prior to my studies, I was less concerned about His judgment, and I only prayed for my own selfish reasons. As my studies progressed, however, my understanding of Holy Scripture, and Hebrew in general, increased and deepened. This helped with my studies at the Jewish day school that I attend next door to the shul, Bornblum Solomon Shechter School. It was also at this Jewish school that I learned Hebrew, which allowed me to be familiar with the prayers, correct pronunciation of the words, and some background into the prayers I would be chanting soon. As my studying progressed, I began to feel more and more connected to G-D and to my synagogue. I prayed on Saturday morning more often and when I prayed, I sang with more purpose than before. School became more difficult, however, as my studies went on because the time for the Bar Mitzvah grew nearer and the material became harder. I knew that this would not become easier, so I persisted. This I did with all my studies, English and Hebrew. Now, when I look back at the chaotic situation, I see the whole thing was entirely worth the sacrifice.

Another important thing to me is the ritual objects that came with the Bar Mitzvah. The beautiful tallit which I received was a gift from my aunt, uncle and cousins. It was made and bought in Israel, making it all the more special to me. It matches my father’s tallis, chiefly because I would like to follow in his path of religious truth. My aunt made a beautiful yad, Torah pointer, for me. It matches the ones she made for my cousins at the time of their B’nai Mitzvah. Eventually, all of my first cousins will have matching yadaim. The teffilin given to me also have significance. They were my great grandfather’s, now deceased. These sacred objects will be with me for all of my years.

After the Bar or Bat Mitzvah, people ask you “Do you feel any different?” In reality, you do not feel any physical difference at all, unless you fell off the chair as they lifted you in the air. Rather my mental state has changed. I feel much closer to G-D, my shul, and my family and friends, especially the ones who mentored me and those who motivated me toward this special time in my life. I am grateful for my parents and for those close to me who have promoted my education, my quality of life, and this event. I also appreciate all of the sacrifices everyone has made for me. I have also made sacrifices of time and mental capacity for this time in my life. This accomplishment gives me an amazing sense of pride which almost nothing else can give. This feeling is true gratification. Through all the fanfare, I realized that what I have done is not just what my parents want, not what my family wants, but what I have wanted, what I have hoped for basically since I first learned about Bar or Bat Mitzvah. We all share this feeling after our Bar or Bat Mitzvot. That is truly what being a Bar or Bat Mitzvah means to me and to everyone.

Aaron Canales (13) celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on Oct. 17, 2009, (29 Tishrei 5770) at Beth Sholom Synagogue. He is the son of Stacy and Art Canales and grandson of Marilyn and Herb Notowich, and Juanita and Arturo Canales (both of blessed memory). Aaron is an 8^th grade student at Bornblum Solomon Schechter School and a member of the MJCC Blue Dolphin swim team. He has volunteered with the Special Olympics Memphis Wave Swim Team since September 2008.

THIRD PLACE

Prize: $250 Parmasters Gift Certificate Sponsored by: The Arlington Hotel and Spa, Hot Springs, AR

“What Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Means to Me”

By Hailey Zuvers

When I had my bat mitzvah on June 22, 2009, in Israel at a little synagogue called Moreshet Israel, I had to think all about my responsibilities, actions, and rights after I became a bat mitzvah. My bat mitzvah meant a lot to me. My family converted when I was four. I had been looking forward to that day since my family converted. Learning about different holidays, prayers, and rituals interest me a lot. Now that I’ve had that wonderful experience, I can’t wait to raise a Jewish family.

In Israel, I saw many historical sites. The ones that interested me the most were the ancient synagogues. All the history, rituals, and gatherings there fascinated me. The responsibilities I have to face include going to shul every Saturday and sometimes performing the service. I volunteer to help lead sometimes in Saturday morning services at Or Chadash, the synagogue I attend.

My bat mitzvah meant that I, in the Jewish Community, would become an adult. This privilege included fasting, help people cook, leading services, and trying to keep kosher. All of these may be difficult, but I enjoy every one of them(Except fasting).

My bat mitzvah meant that I am different from other kids my age who aren’t Jewish. If they ask questions about Judaism, I can help answer them to the best to my abilities. Being different is sometimes not so good, but times it can really pay off. Being different, I think, is colorful.

My bat mitzvah meant a lot of things to me, but the most important is that I’m showing G-d that I really care and intend to stay Jewish. I also think that it is fun to read Torah. It’s not one of the things you can do every day. My family helped me with my studies and Torah learning. My bat mitzvah was, and still is, the best experience of my life!

Children are our greatest blessing. They are a combination of the rich traditions of the past and the bright promises of tomorrow. To the wonderful joy of all of her family, Hailey Elizabeth Zuvers, Esther Naomi, became a Bat Mizvah on June 22, 2009 at Beit Knesset Moreshet Yisrael synagogue in Jerusalem, Israel. The Zuvers attend Or Chadash Synagogue led by Cantor David Julian, Rabbi. Hailey has been attending Bornblum Solomon Schechter School for four years, as she and her mother moved to Memphis after their home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Hailey enjoys playing with her pets, making arts and crafts, making jewelry, playing computer games, working out at the JCC, and learning to play the violin.