Spirituality

Jewish

‘Vomen of
Tomorrow

The Shul gathers bat mitzvah-aged girls
for Jewish learning and fun.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
StaffWriter

I

try Shemtov understands the magic of a girl's bat
mitzvah birthday.
"No other birthday will change you as much
as your bat mitzvah birthday," she says. "When a
Jewish girl becomes bat mitzvah, she undergoes a pro-
found change. She possesses a unique identity, which
she shares with all Jewish women from around the
globe and throughout 3,000 years of history"
In preparation for that day, Shemtov offers preteens
girls an invitation to her Bat Mitzvah Club, sponsored
by the Shul. Shemtov meets with girls ages 11 to 13
the first Sunday of every month during the school-year.
"The purpose of this club is to bring together bat
mitzvah-age girls to discover life, discuss issues and
embark on the Jewish journey of pre-adulthood togeth-
er," Shemtov says.
Club member Allison Korotkin of Birmingham had
her bat mitzvah last May. She understood the signifi-
cance of the day.
"The party may be great but being on the bimah,
you get this rush," says Allison, 13. "It's a great thing to
be up there knowing people are looking at you hoping
they can connect with God through you — especially
reading the Torah portion — you feel God is with you
through the whole thing."
Bat Mitzvah Club meetings are a good blend of fun
and learning.
"We meet in a social setting, and always do some-
thing exciting," Shemtov says. "We just also stick in
some important things for Jewish life."
A sign that the group thinks the club has just the
right balance is that all 12 girls who participated this
year already signed up again for next year.
Allison says, "The club meetings are so much fun,
you want to go back the next day."

Getting Together

Coming from both public and private schools and
varying religious backgrounds, the girls attend Chemed
meetings involving holidays and current Jewish issues.
One gathering was built around Israel, its language,
culture and history, and included a sports game with
teams named for Israeli cities. The girls also watched
the video, Operation Thunderbolt, the 1977 movie
about the Israeli commando rescue of passengers on a
plane hijacked by terrorists to the Entebbe airport in
Uganda.
During the week of Purim, the group met to bake
hamantashen (triangular-shaped pastry) at Shemtov's
West Bloomfield home, assemble mishloach manot

fay Shemtov & An2y Abel, 13, of
West Bloomfield at Bat Mitzvah
Club meeting.

in a it-
boxzng lessOn.

Guest storyteller Leah Kagan of
Oak Park sits with Sammy
Feinberg, 12, and Alyssa Simko,
11, both of Farmington Hills.

Elana Linker, 10, ofWest
Bloomfield kicks the bag.

(foods shared at Purim time)
and deliver them to Fleischman
Residence seniors in West
Bloomfield.
"This was my favorite," says
Allison's sister, Hailee, 11, also a
member of the club. "It was fun
because we baked, but it was
also fun for the giving part,
knowing we were doing it for
someone else." She also liked that members' siblings
were included in the project.
The club, which is the Detroit-area branch of an
international Chabad-Lubavitch-sponsored program, is
member-led. Positions include master of ceremonies,
hostess, speaker, song leader and photographer.
With most meetings held in the girls' homes, often
their mothers are included in such programs as the
"Priorities Game." From a list of things like charity,
peace in Israel and getting a drivers' license, the moms
and daughters each choose which things in their lives
are the most important.
The group held a May 6 end-of-the-year program at
Ken Levy's Kickboxing Club in West Bloomfield. It
was so well-received it will be repeated as the kick-off
event in the fall.

Sharing Jewish Identi ty

"Once we all talked about what our Hebrew names
mean," Allison says of a meeting where each girl was
asked to prepare a talk about her Hebrew name and its
biblical origin.
"In the club we talk about Torah stories and

Hebrew lessons, which helped me in making my
bat mitzvah speech," Hailee says. "My dad is
amazed at how much we love Hebrew and going to the
meetings, and he is happy we have so much fun."
After the girls reach bat mitzvah age, Shemtov has
two suggestions for them. They can continue attending
meetings in a leadership role, as Allison will do, or they
can join the Morrie and Sybil Fenkell Volunteer Club
of the West Bloomfield-based Friendship Circle, work-
ing with children with special needs.
Shemtov says she tells the members of her group,
"Becoming bat mitzvah means more than a beautiful
party It's the beginning of a lifelong process of doing
more — more learning, more feeling, more thinking
and more being you.
'All your personal progress and good achievements
will change you and the world around you. In the Bat
Mitzvah Club, you will experience ever-growing
knowledge and pride in being Jewish, female and a
new adult." ❑

or information on the Bat Mitzvah Club or
the kick off event at Ken Levy's Kickboxing
Club, call the Shul, (248) 788-7131. ❑

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8/17
2001

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