Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2015 | Page 18

AARON GREENSTEIN
month before my bar mitzvah, I started
putting on tefillin. And a couple of
months after my bar mitzvah, my dad
took me to Israel, which helped me develop a love for Israel and a great connection to the Jewish nation. I think all
of these things combined created this
love for Yiddishkeit that I have today.
Since my bar mitzvah, I have felt much
more connected in a physical way too, because I do things such as daven three
times a day. I also started high school just
two weeks before my bar mitzvah, and I
think this also had an effect both on my
maturity and understanding as well as my
connection to Judaism. For example, I
learn much more Torah in the high school
than I did before, and that is something
that really inspires me now – I have realised the more Torah I learn, the more I
grow. And not just as a Jew, but as a human being.

to be a young Jewish girl. Then I was bat
mitzvah. Each week during bat mitzvah
lessons we would do different activities
that taught us about being modest, kind,
loyal and many other special qualities. I
learned many lessons about Judaism that I
never knew before, and this motivated me
to continue to learn and grow.
Doing kind deeds inspires me to be a
better person as well as to appreciate and
be grateful for everything that I have. I
have learned that one simple act of kindness can make an enormous difference. I
am inspired by the community that I am
part of, as they provide me with opportunities to experience and feel what being
Jewish is all about. I go to shul every
Shabbat and use Shabbat as a day to connect with Hashem, myself, family and
friends in a meaningful way without the
distractions of technology. I am also a
member of Bnei Akiva and attend their
events and camps. Being a Jew plays a
huge role in my life and affects many
choices that I make, like how I dress and
what I eat. I go to a Jewish day school and
the morning tefilla as well as the Hebrew
and Jewish Studies lessons enable me to
feel proud of my Jewish heritage. Celebrating the chagim and visiting Israel
make my connection to the past and to
Hashem much stronger.

Natasha Horwitz

To me, being Jewish means I am part of
something bigger than myself – Am Yisrael. It means that I must strive to live my
life in the most moral and meaningful way
using the values of the Torah in order to be
a light unto the other nations. Now, I feel
lucky that I have realised how important
Judaism is to me. When I was younger, I
never really understood why we were given
special laws to follow and how lucky I was

NATASHA HORWITZ

I am inspired by the community that I am part of, as
they provide me with opportunities to experience and
feel what being Jewish is all about.
NATASHA HORWITZ
14 JEWISH LIFE n ISSUE 89

ILAN MELTZ

Ilan Meltz

Being Jewish is probably one of the most
important parts of my life. I have learnt
so many valuable lessons that I would
need in life. Being at a Jewish day school
and living in a Jewish home has shown
me the importance of Torah and mitzvot.
Three years ago was my bar mitzvah and
it brought many responsibilities with it.
Every day I put on tefillin and daven with a
minyan. I also get called up to the Torah.
Going to shul can sometimes be a challenge for me, but I persevere because I
know it will be worth the effort in the end.
My journey towards my bar mitzvah was
a very memorable one