Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2015 | Page 17

JADE BERSON
observances. It was a very humbling experience be a part of their journey and to share
my own, and also to keep in contact with
these girls afterwards. It was very special
meeting them on my visit to New York. We
had an instant connection, like we had
known each other forever. My role today as
a Jewish woman is to find my purpose and
use my G-d-given talents to help others.

JewishLifePicnicAd4PATHS.indd 1

My bat mitzvah teacher, Robyn Shmookler, was an inspiration to me. She helped me
to realise the true essence of a Jewish woman through the very meaningful and wellstructured Roots Bat Mitzvah Programme.
What inspires me now is my parents’
commitment to our Jewish community,
making a difference and how, together as a
family, we continue to learn and grow each
day of our lives. One quote that has resonated with me since my bat mitzvah learning programme, by Hillel, says: “If I am not
for myself, who will be for me? But if I am
only for myself, who am I? If not now,
when?” (Ethics of the Fathers) What is pertinent today and very close to my heart is
that Jews should learn to get along, unite
as one nation and create peace in the world.

AARON GREENSTEIN

For me, Judaism isn’t just a religion or
thought. It’s a lifestyle. It’s an identity. It’s a
sense of belonging to a nation. Yiddishkeit
encapsulates everything in my life – whether it’s wearing tzitzit and a kippa or just ac-

knowledging Hashem – it’s a constant factor. No matter what I’m doing, it plays
some sort of role. Be it writing Hashem’s
name on the top of a page before I write, or
saying a brocha before I eat, it’s always
present. When I think back to my bar mitzvah, I feel that then I didn’t feel as strongly
about this sense of belonging and responsibility as I do today. I think that even
though it was only a year-and-a-half ago,
until my bar mitzvah, Judaism didn’t play
this great role in my life that it does today.
These last 18 months since my bar
mitzvah have really been the stage in my
life where I’ve grown the most. I’ve been
able to understand much more than I
had before about life itself and find a
purpose. I can definitely say that my
sense of responsibility and belonging to
Am Yisrael feels stronger. The preparation and experience of my bar mitzvah is
when this feeling of connection really
began. I felt that as my bar mitzvah was
approaching, I had to make time to find
Judaism as an inspiration in my life. One

16/09/2015 12:05