by Ava Propper Rubin
Take some Mitzvot (religious commandments), throw in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), and sprinkle the vast Westchester communities served by Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), and you have a great opportunity for Jewish youth celebrating their B’nai Mitzvah to experience fulfillment and help others.
When taking on the responsibilities of Jewish adulthood at ages 12 or 13, many boys and girls in our community are asked or required to do a Mitzvah Project. In anticipation of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, they reflect on issues that are meaningful to them and work with community organizations to engage in a project that resonates with their concerns and values.
Communities being served by WJCS range from LGBTQIA+ groups to Holocaust survivors, and even children and adults on the autism spectrum. Anyone can support these groups through donations or direct personal relationships, especially with guidance from WJCS.
This B’nai Mitzvot season, students Hannah Skolnick and Sia Carr worked together, filling 27 new backpacks with new school supplies that will be distributed to WJCS clients who live in under-resourced communities.
Each backpack contained school supplies like folders, writing utensils, and even a heartfelt handwritten note, ensuring that students start the academic year prepared and inspired to succeed. When delivering the backpacks to WJCS, the girls spoke with WJCS Director of Development, Jennifer Kaplan and WJCS Director for Training and Digital Equity Caitlin Leon, who explained how their Bar Mitzvah projects would strengthen and help shape the future of those receiving them.
For her Bat Mitzvah project, Sienna Zimmerman chose to create sensory bags to comfort kids who had experienced trauma. She met Dr. Liane Nelson, WJCS Chief Psychologist and Director at the Trager Lemp Center for Trauma and Resilience. Together, they discussed who will be helped by the bags and the importance of volunteering, especially at nonprofits. Zimmerman shared that she has friends who have experienced mental health crisis, demonstrating how her Mitzvah Project clearly connected to the people she had already helped and loved.
Hannah Skolnick & Sia Carr brought supply-stuffed backpacks to WJCS headquarters for the agency’s annual Back-to-School Drive.
Sienna Zimmerman created trauma care kits filled with art materials and stuffed animals that will help individuals on the road to recovery.
For anyone looking for Mitzvah Project opportunities or simply some meaningful volunteer work, please click here.
