Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2015 | Page 16

TEENS

TODAY YOU ARE
A MAN / WOMAN!

Tomorrow, it’s back to the 7th grade
Officially an adult, what does being Jewish mean post bar/bat
mitzvah? I BY CHANDREA SEREBRO
THE TEENAGE YEARS ARE A TRYING TIME – THE
time between being a child, carefree with
licence to grow and develop in one’s Jewish identity, to slowly becoming a fullfledged, responsible adult with the Torah
mitzvot incumbent on us, integrated into
our lives. The in-between years are grey,
especially when it comes to Jewish identity. How do we keep on a high from the
time spent learning and preparing for our
bar/bat mitzvah with us in the years that
follow, while still allowing ourselves to
grow and find our place in the world?

I come from a family with a very strong
sense of Jewish heritage. I was lucky
enough to celebrate my bar mitzvah in a
small, intimate shul environment, and because of this, there was a lot of one-onone attention given to me. This stimulated me to carry on and show my love for
Judaism. The year after my bar mitzvah, I
joined Bnei Akiva, which was a turning
point in my Jewish life. It was here that I
met a wonderful mentor and madrich
who has encouraged me to continue davening daily. We have our own davening
group every morning and most Sundays
in the late afternoon, where we go for

JADE BERSON

NOAH MARKS
milkshakes and learn whatever is relevant
for me at the Bnei Akiva bayit. King David
encourages this kind of learning and
makes the whole process easy.
Staying connected as a Jew in my perspective comes a lot from the family. My father and I still continue to go to shul every
Shabbos, even after my bar mitzvah. Without having a bar mitzvah, I don’t feel I
would have developed such a strong need
to be connected as a Jew. I am inspired now
by people around me, from my friends to
my teachers to my madrichim and family. I
was privileged recently to spend some time
with a Holocaust survivor, who told me his

THE YEAR AFTER MY BAR MITZVAH, I JOINED BNEI AKIVA,
WHICH WAS A TURNING POINT IN MY JEWISH LIFE.

NOAH MARKS

Being Jewish right now means I am part of
the Jewish nation and I am proud to have a
Jewish identity. It’s important to me to follow Jewish values and traditions that have
been passed down from generation to generation, to connect with Hashem, and to
treat others with compassion and love.
Since becoming bat mitzah, I have embarked on a journey of self-growth. I have
applied what I have been taught, fulfilling
mitzvot and living by Torah values. My family and I are now shomrei Shabbat and attend shul for all the chagim and many simchas. I enjoy making challah with my mom
each week. The youth madrichim at Linksfield Shul have inspired me to be an example for the younger members and to run
children’s services to connect with them. I
was recently contacted by twin girls from
Pennsylvania in the USA. They wanted to
know how girls in South Africa celebrated
their bat mitzvahs, and I got on board to
help out. They were fascinated by our programmes and our strong Jewish roots and

PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED

NOAH MARKS

story in a private setting. To see the numbers on his arm and hear how Jews suffered in this terrible time left a lasting impression, making me extremely grateful to
be able to be free to perform Jewish activities in a safe environment. I cannot wait
for next year to go on hadracha and see Israel through my own eyes. I am very proud
to be a young Jew in South Africa.

12 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 89

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