feature
by Gabriella Ring
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Local Hero
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Teen to be featured on Nick News for dog rescues in Pontiac.
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with those.
He has seen firsthand how the poor
economy has affected pet owners'
abilities to care for their animals.
"Owners haven't been able to buy
as much food or insulation for the
dogs' houses. It's gotten more expen-
sive and they're getting less money
because of the economy," said Swartz,
who attends Bloomfield Hills West
Hills Middle School.
He has one beagle and one beagle
mix of his own so he knows how to
relate to other pet owners. He also
fostered two dogs, each for about two
months. Fostering is to take in an ani-
mal until it can be "adopted out" to a
permanent home.
Swartz is the son of Nancy and Ir-
ving Swartz. He has a brother, Guo-
jian, 7, and a sister, Hjartsi, 27.
Swartz, who had his bar mitzvah
last April 18 at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield, believes it is important to
help animals.
C
Jin Swartz, to be featured on Nick News for his work with animals, plays with his two dogs.
"The other volunteer work I did
involved humans, but I felt working
with animals would be a nice change,"
he said.
Swartz said he felt "very nervous"
during the Nickelodeon filming, which
included the crew filming him as he
strolled up to houses to deliver sup-
plies, and then interviewing him in his
own home. "I also thought, 'Cool, we
can get the group [ACN] more recog-
T2T sta ff photo by Jess ica Polk
in Swartz, 13, of West Bloom-
field was recently interviewed
for an episode of Nickelodeon's
Nick News because of his work with
the Animal Care Network in Pon-
tiac. ACN is a Roseville-based vol-
unteer organization that provides
relief to pets in low-income areas
of Wayne and Oakland counties.
The Nickelodeon program is doing
a series on three kids from around the
country that help animals.
For his bar mitzvah volunteer work,
Swartz was searching for three projects
he could simultaneously juggle for a
year. His dad suggested the dog rescue.
Swartz had already gone occasionally
with his dad on ACN work, then opt-
ed to begin regularly delivering food,
water, treats, extra dog chain and dog-
houses to pet owners in need. Swartz
raised $205 in donations for ACN.
The organization hosts two clinics
per year to provide shots for dogs in
the Pontiac area. Swartz also helped
Q
special dvar
by Helene Glickman
Power of 10
nized,'" Swartz said. He hopes people
will donate their time and money to
the organization.
Watch Swartz at 8 p.m. Sunday,
Dec. 27, on Nick News
on Nickelodeon. { }
Gabriella Ring, 16, Is a
junior at Berkley High
School.
Power of Ten:
10 FJA students
In front of the
school's new
cougar mural.
Back row: Eden
Chrostowskl, Max
FJA's first decade sparks a look at the significance of 10 in the Torah.
Brown, Blake
Robbins, Omer
his year, as Frankel Jewish
Academy in West Bloomfield
celebrates its 10th anniversa-
ry year, I was inspired to explore the
Torah for instances of the number 10.
As I studied, I realized these instances
share a key idea.
The most obvious 10, of course, are
the Ten Commandments. We live our
lives according to God's guidelines to
better our characters and live a fulfill-
ing life. On Mount Sinai, with nothing
to call their own, the Israelites accept-
ed God's Torah and pledged to live as
Jews. Their faith led them to live ac-
cording to God's code of 10.
Second are the 10 Plagues that God
summoned to force the Egyptians to
free His people. The Israelites were
enslaved, yet had faith in Moses and
in God's power. They believed and
were therefore rewarded by God,
freed by His cumulative power in the
10 Plagues.
Lastly, the Torah states 10 gen-
erations came between Abraham and
Noah and the flood. Noah lived sur-
rounded by sinners. People mocked
him for building an ark, but Noah be-
lieved in God in a trying time and was
rewarded. Torah links Noah's faith to
another crucial 10 — the generations
between one man of faith and another.
In these three instances, people en-
dured trial and hardship. They were
rewarded for their unwavering loyalty.
There will always be trials in life that
test us and test our relationship with
God. We have to trust that things will
work out. Whether we have a tough
class in school, get sick with the flu
or are pressured by friends, we have
to believe and look to God to help us
out. Even when we are being pushed
to the limit, we have to remember all
will be OK.
TT2 teen2teen December 17 • 2009
Oppenhelm, Carly
Cykiert, Corey
Rosen. Front row:
Alex Vieder,
Helene Glickman,
Jordyn Dresner,
Danielle Wein-
berger.
The Kabbalah teaches that the num-
ber 10 symbolizes perfection, totality
and godliness. There are 10 spiritual
levels one must ascend to reach God.
Similarly, when we overcome ob-
stacles in our lives by doing the right
thing and see our hardships as tests
from God, we become closer to God
and to the "perfect" person we strive
to be.
When Frankel Jewish Academy was
only a hope in the founders' eyes, there
were many obstacles to overcome.
They could not have possibly known
how successful their efforts would be.
Fast forward 10 years — the students
at FJA are thriving. Ten years after
those early years of struggle, and in
place of hope, is a full-fledged school, a
place where the very values the found-
ers used to start the school are alive and
students are reaping the benefits. { }
Helene Glickman, 15, is
a sophomore at Frankel
Jewish Academy.