PURELY COMMENTARY

10 | SEPTEMBER 29 • 2022

student’s corner
The Importance of Volunteering
in Our Community

Yiddish Limerick

G

rowing up in a Jewish
family has always been
important to me, as I
resonate with the strong sense
of community and deep histo-
ry that brought
us to where
we are today. I
am constantly
looking for ways
to learn more
about my religion
and incorporate
strong values
into my life, which is part of
what led me to Frankel Jewish
Academy (FJA). Completing
my bar mitzvah three years
ago, however, is what made
me realize that one of the most
important values in the Jewish
religion was one that I will con-
tinue to live by each and every
day — the importance of help-
ing others.
B’nei mitzvahs do not only
signify when a child becomes
an adult in the Jewish reli-
gion — it is also a chance for

Jewish individuals to perform
a “mitzvah” and give back to
the community. As such, I
chose to take part in volunteer-
ing with TOPSoccer, where I
worked with developmentally
challenged children and helped
them get more involved in
sports teams. Playing a part
in creating joy and a sense of
accomplishment among these
players was gratifying. In fact, it
was this experience that helped
me see how critical helping
others was in building a strong
sense of community.
From this point on, I knew
I would continue taking part
in mitzvahs — both large and
small — far beyond my bar
mitzvah.
I later decided to become
more active in my community
through Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, where I found out about
another volunteering opportu-
nity that involved helping elder-
ly individuals with landscaping.
This was during fall of 2021 —

amid the peak of the pandemic
— which limited the ability for
the elderly to perform tasks as
they usually would. To help,
we raked and bagged leaves,
as well as planted flowers to
improve the outdoor appeal
of their homes. Despite a hard
and tedious day of work, I was
pleased to see the happiness
we brought the homeowners
once the work was complete,
especially during a lonely and
uncertain time.
At FJA, where I am currently
a sophomore, there is a strong
emphasis on the importance of
engaging in the community and
helping others, as these are crit-
ical core values that are essen-
tial parts of being Jewish.
Over my last two years at
the school, I have discovered
even more opportunities to
get involved in the commu-
nity, including with JARC, a
nonprofit organization that
supports individuals with devel-
opmental disabilities. Here, I

have helped execute events and
foster a strong sense of commu-
nity for these very individuals. I
have recently become involved
with student leadership within
the organization, where I am
tasked with encouraging more
individuals to volunteer and
support JARC.
’s efforts.
Overall, being an active
member of the Jewish com-
munity helped me realize how
important — and how reward-
ing — volunteering is. Having
a bar mitzvah, belonging to
Shaarey Zedek and attending
FJA has taught me that helping
others is critical to fostering a
strong sense of community. I
feel fortunate to have grown up
in a family that instilled these
strong Jewish values in our
lives, and I am even more grate-
ful that I have had the oppor-
tunities to continue to live by
them each and every day.

Hayden Dean is a sophomore at

Frankel Jewish Academy.

Hayden
Dean

Eib ich zitz or eib ich shtayen
Dos iz vos der Rabbi has to say.
And Oy, ich vil shayn essn
Ober hob ich shayn fargessn?
Dos iz Yom Kippur today.

Eib ich zitz: if I sit
Eib ich shtay: if I stand
Dos iz: this is
Vos der rabbi: what the rabbi
Ich vil shayn essn: I want to eat already
Ober: but
Hob ich shayn fargessn? Did I forget?

By Rachel Kapen

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