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