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JEW= NEWS

Social action projects and volunteering have become
a big part of the bar/bat mitzvah program.

shah (Torah Portion), the service and
figure out what kind of mitzvah she
wanted to do."
For some preteens, parents set the
afi Martina of Hunting-
pace,
prompting their children to
ton Woods collected slip-
think about the real meaning
pers and blankets
of becoming a Jewish adult,
for seniors.
Rafi Martina which includes the notion of
In lieu of presents, Kate
at his
being responsible to their
Schmier of Birmingham
Western Wall community. Most are
asked for donations to Inter-
with donated exposed to firsthand mitzvah
plast, which provides plastic
items for the
experience prior to bar/bat
surgery to disfigured children
e erly.
mitzvah through religious
in developing nations.
school programs.
Eli Boyer of West Bloom-
The genesis of today's widespread
field helps youngsters develop sports
skills and tutors a Russian immigrant trend of linking social action to bar
mitzvah probably stems from the Sovi-
in English. Shira Greenberg of
et Jewry movement's twinning pro-
Walled Lake spent a year collecting
gram that took hold here in the early
toiletries, toys, money and clothing
1980s, says Bev Yost of the Jewish
for a Detroit shelter.
Community
Council of Metropolitan
Social action projects such as
Detroit. "It got to the point where if a
these are helping Detroit-area teens
kid didn't twin with a refusenik, it was
truly put the "mitzvah" back into
the exception."
bar/bat mitzvah after a period when
Now the focus leans more toward
the "bar" might have been more
local needs, and synagogues across
emphasized, say many local parents,
the nation are leading the way. Over
educators and rabbis.
the past five years or so, most local
"I see the party as an addendum;
Reform and Conservative synagogues
the focal point of a bat mitzvah is
instituted community service
the actual ritual and the idea of
requirements for students prior to
mitzvah," says Rivka Greenberg.
bar/bat mitzvah. This focus on com-
"Before I would even discuss the
munity service parallels what's hap-
party, Shira had to focus on her par-

KERI GUTEN COHEN
Special to The Jewish News

R

pening in a growing number of the
nation's public schools, including
local suburban districts, where stu-
dents are required to perform chari-
table acts before graduation.
At Akiva Hebrew Day School, 40
hours of community service are
required for graduation, and most
students weigh in with closer to 100
hours, says Rabbi Avram Goldstein.
Though no requirements exist at
Young Israel of Southfield, Rabbi
Elimelech Goldberg says students are
taught that at least 10 percent of the
money they get at their bar mitzvah
should go to charity. He gets fre-
quent donations to Camp Simcha,
the New York camp he runs for chil-
dren with cancer.
Many local synagogues have writ-
ten guidelines, including require-
ments, for social action projects that
may stipulate 18 hours of communi-
ty service or a total of 13 mitzvot. At
Temple Israel, for example, one
mitzvah is required from these cate-
gories: ahavah (love/commitment to
temple), tzedakah (monetary dona-
tions) and tnilut chasadim (hand's-
on volunteering). Most handbooks,
including one from the Jewish Corn-
munity Council, list opportunities at
the synagogue, in the Jewish corn-
munity and throughout metro
Detroit, leaving choices up to indi-
vidual interest.
Educators say few balk at the
requirements. Some youngsters turn
in the bare minimum, while most
exceed what's required because they
get hooked on giving.
For example, Eli Boyer, son of
Debbie Boyer and David Boyer, only
110
needs a few volunteer hours at
Shaarey Zedek, yet he comes nearly
every week to help kids at a syna-
gogue sports clinic. "I get a lot out
of it," says Eli, who will have his bar
mitzvah June 13. "Everyone who has
a bar mitzvah should give to the
community. I think it's something
I'll continue doing."
Kate Schmier, daughter of Ellen and
Ronny Schmier, may have a JARC
bingo project still pending as a bat
mitzvah requirement, but she already
went above and beyond for her Feb. 7
bat mitzvah at Temple Israel. "My par-
ents suggested I select a charity to give

MITZVAH

on page 8

