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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