T, •

Marissa Lowen
celebrates two bat mitzvahs
in one weekend.

/--

Marissa Lowen with her dad
and bat mitzvah tutor, Alan Lowen.

JULIE WIENER
Staff Writer

IV

hen Marissa Lowen
stepped down from the
bimah at Temple Kol
Ami after leading ser-
vices last Friday, her work was only
half done.
The bat mitzvah had another cere-
mony scheduled for the following
morning at Temple Beth El.
Because her family belongs to both
synagogues, Marissa opted to have a
bat mitzvah ceremony at each one.
She attended Hebrew school at
Temple Kol Ami and went through
the b'nai mitzvah class at Temple Beth
El, where her father, Alan, teaches.
And although Marissa took on a
double load, neither bat mitzvah could

be described as half-hearted. Although
her Torah portion requirement was
comparable to other b'nai mitzvah,
Marissa's lit; of passage meant leading
two entire services — Friday night's
and Saturday's, delivering two speech-
es and even writing her own poetry.
"It went really well," said Marissa.
"I felt really relieved when I finished,
but also was kind of upset that it was
”
over.
She also worked double-time on
several mitzvah volunteer projects —
working at Temple Beth El's coat
drive, making quilts for AIDS babies
and helping out with Temple Kol
Ami's clothing drive. In addition,
Marissa donated bat mitzvah gifts to
14 different charities, among them
JARC, Yad Ezra, Gilda's Club, Mazon:
A Jewish Response to Hunger and the

Holocaust Memorial Center.
A student at Dunckel Middle
School in Farmington Hills who plays
violin in the school orchestra, Marissa
made time to practice daily for her
double mitzvah.
"This was a big undertaking, and
she was constantly asked if she was
sure she wanted to do this," said
Marissa's mom, Karen. "We never had
to force her to do anything."
Was it worth all the extra work?
"Definitely," said Marissa. "I was a lit-
tle tired, but I felt like I had achieved
something."
The Lowens say they are equally
active in both temples. "We love both
places; they both have intrinsic value,"
said Alan. "We especially like the
beautiful music at Beth El and the
warm, cozy feeling at Kol Ami."

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