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Special Gift
A special friend from France finds the perfect bat mitzvah gift.
Pen pals Rebecca Mansfield and Marion Jaulin
LISA FEIN
Special to the Jewish News
B
ecoming a bat mitzvah is a
special time in a teenage girl's
life. Receiving a congratulato-
ry letter from the leader of the
French Jewish community, Le Grand
Rabbin De France Joseph Sitruk, makes
it more memorable.
Rebecca (Becca) Mansfield of
Farmington Hills became a bat mitzvah
on Sept. 7 at Temple Israel. Becca
received the unique bat mitzvah gift
from her Internet pen pal, 16-year-old
Marion Jaulin of St. Raphael, France.
The two were paired on the Internet
two years ago, when Becca, then a sixth-
grader at East Middle School in
Farmington Hills, signed up for a
French class. In April 2000, the
Mansfields — Becca, parents Maureen
and Michael, and 6-year-old John —
hosted Marion during a three-week visit
to Michigan.
"When Marion went home," said
Becca, "it was like losing a sister. We
continue our friendship on-line. We
communicate almost every day through
e-mail."
In addition, because of the terrorist
attacks on Sept. 11 in New York City,
Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania,
the phone companies in France have
given French customers 15 minutes of
free airtime to call anywhere in the
United States. Marion called Becca a few
weeks ago, the first time they had spo-
ken to each other in a year.
Marion's uncle is a friend of Le Grand
Rabbin. In her own congratulatory let-
ter, Marion explained, "I wanted to find
some present that could mark the occa-
sion of your bat mitzvah. Since I am not
Jewish myself, I had no clue of any typi-
cal presents that are usually given."
She added, "I don't know how it
works in the USA, whether there is an
American rabbi or a rabbi for each state,
but this man is the most important
Jewish person in France (similar to the
pope in Catholicism). I think it is a nice
present you can be proud of."
Marion, fluent in English since age 4,
translated the rabbi's letter for her
friend. She did her best, despite a few
Yiddish and Hebrew words in the letter.
Becca was supposed to go to France
this year as an exchange student and visit
Marion, but the trip was cancelled due
to the events of Sept. 11. She said, "I
was really upset about not being able to
see France. I have seen Marion's pictures
and it looks so beautiful. I will have to
wait until high school now to go and
visit. Marion was disappointed, but she
understands."
Maureen Mansfield said, "Marion is a
special young lady. Most people her age
don't have the depth or take the time
and effort to do what she did. I was
touched.
"It is just like Marion to do this.
Until I explained to Becca what an
honor this was, I don't believe she
understood. Becca was then grateful and
awed by it."
Le Grand Rabbin's congratulatory let-
ter will be framed and put on Becca's
bedroom wall next to her bat mitzvah
certificate, N Sync posters and auto-
graphed CD cover of 0-Town, her
favorite group.
❑
VN;334,7,
11/2
2001
47