Unfortunate date choice

Thank you for allowing the Kansas Association of Counties the opportunity to respond to your Aug. 25 story “Kansas celebration scheduled for Yom Kippur in Wichita.”

The Kansas Association of Counties was invited to “sponsor” the event. One generally interprets a sponsorship to mean we donated financially to the cause and participated in planning the event. We did neither. We were asked to publicize the event to our member counties, which we have done by sending notice about the event to Kansas counties, inviting them to participate if they so choose. That is the extent of our involvement.

We regard the choice of date as unfortunate. One need only look at a calendar to realize the conflict and we are unsure how the mistake could have been made. Because we have affiliated ourselves with the program by offering ourselves as sponsors — no matter the small role we play — I apologize on behalf of my association for our lack of attention and sensitivity to Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people.

Melissa A. Wangemann
General Counsel
Kansas Association of Counties

It is a small world after all ...

I am writing this column sitting in the veranda of my hotel in San Cristobal, Tachira State, Venezuela. This town of about 400,000 people is perched in the Andes. Even though it has had Jews for almost a century, I felt like we were able to create a unique moment in Jewish history recently. I will tell you why.

Jews began to come to this agricultural area of Venezuela near the Colombian border in the 1920s. Most, if not all of them, were from Bessarabia, an area between modern Romania and Ukraine. Curiously the majority were from one town, Nova Sulita or Nova, where my wife’s grandparents came from! I had the opportunity of visiting Nova Sulita and reciting Kaddish at the local cemetery last year during my sabbatical.

At a meeting arranged with the few remnants of the local Jewish community in San Cristobal, I was thrilled to meet my wife’s landsmen (the people from the same shtetl) and they were really excited to hear about a place their ancestors came from but that no one had ever returned to visit. We arranged a visit to the local Jewish cemetery to recite Kaddish. There I was able to verify that about half of the 25 graves indeed listed the deceaseds’ place of birth as Nova Sulita, its old Romanian name.

In its heyday, San Cristobal had as many as 60 Jewish households; that population has drastically declined due to intermarriage and immigration both to Caracas or Israel. Today very few Jewish families remain. They used to hold religious services at the home of Israel Cusnir, who died three years ago. Yet, even today a special room remains in his widow’s home where an ark holds a Sefer Torah and other Jewish ritual objects. The Torah is quite a curious piece because the scroll is an Ashkenazi one but it is encased in gorgeous silver Sephardic tik, so it is read standing rather than laying on the reading table. For many years they would hire a chazzan  for the High Holidays from the United States, but that has also stopped. Dr. Ingrid Cusnir, Israel’s daughter, acts as the local Jewish leader because she seems to either be related to or to know everyone that has any Jewish connections in town. She is an extremely dedicated woman, who unfortunately faces huge difficulties, mostly coming from the official rabbinate in Caracas. They reportedly appear to be determined to take away the community’s Torah, even though it was acquired by the local Jewish families a long time ago.

I was visiting San Cristobal to finalize the conversion process of 28 people that have been studying with me for quite a long time over the net. Some of them were descendants of Jewish families while others were formally devout Christians who realized that Judaism appealed to their souls, hearts and brains.

It was a very intense visit. Over a four-day period I lectured, counseled, converted, married four couples and even met with another group of about 30 people that wish to convert in the future. I had no moment alone, every meal was offered by a family that went out of their way to host and pamper me. Every moment that I was quiet someone came to ask deep and meaningful Jewish questions, some that even stumped me!

No evening was over before 1 a.m. because they were eager for knowledge and asked questions about Jewish life, history and tradition. Their love and care for Judaism was evident in their devotion, curiosity and joy in everything Jewish. I absent-mindedly commented on a certain kind of Venezuelan chocolate that happens to be my favorite. Upon my departure, it seemed like every one of the people I met with brought me some bars of that chocolate, almost 40 in total!

The nicest thing about my stay in San Cristobal was that some members of the old Jewish families came to the formal conversion ceremony and brought their treasured Torah to be used as part of the ceremony. It was a nice sign of support and collaboration between both groups that augurs a bright Jewish future in San Cristobal.

I am grateful to Mike and Karen Herman who helped subsidize the teaching and travel involved in making this a reality.

“The Debt” is a spine-tingling espionage thriller that holds the audience spellbound with all its twists and turns. It is directed by Academy Award nominee John Madden (“Shakespeare in Love”) and based on the 2007 Israeli film “Ha-Hov.” The movie opened yesterday (Wednesday, Aug. 31) in wide release.

Rachel Singer (Academy Award winner Helen Mirren from “The Queen”) attends the 1997 publishing launch of her daughter’s new book about a heroic secret mission that took place more than 30 years ago. She and two men, all young Mossad agents, were sent to capture and bring to trial in Israel the Nazi war criminal known as the “Surgeon of Birkenau.” Their assignment supposedly ended with this evil monster’s death on the streets of East Berlin.

Her ex-husband, Stephan (two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson from “Michael Clayton” and HBO’s “John Adams”) brings Rachel shocking news about their former colleague, David (Ciaran Hinds from “Munich” and HBO’s “Rome”). He also tells her that a journalist from a newspaper in Kiev has found a man claiming to be the nefarious doctor from World War II. Since Stephan is in a wheelchair, it is up to Rachel to go back to Eastern Europe to uncover the truth and confront the obligation owed to her country, her comrades and herself.

Rachel begins reading a passage from her daughter’s book at a celebration dinner and the movie takes us back to 1965. A young Rachel played by Jessica Chastain (recently seen in “The Help”) is greeted at the border by David (Sam Worthington from “Avatar”) posing as her husband. He takes her to the safe house where she meets team leader Stephan (Martin Csokas from “Alice in Wonderland” and “Kingdom of Heaven”). Both young men are strangers to Rachel. This is Rachel’s first time in the field after serving as a translator. Rachel poses as an infertile patient to get close to Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen from “Everlasting Moments” and “Quantum of Solace”), a fictional Joseph Mengele-style SS doctor who is practicing medicine as an obstetrician/gynecologist.

Although concentrating on their assignment, these three strangers get to know each other while living and working together in cramped quarters. They become very close and sexual sparks are ignited as their operation becomes more dangerous.

On her third office visit, Rachel puts her martial arts training to good use. The trio is able to kidnap the doctor. Their intricate plan to transport him out of the country goes awry. They are forced to remain in hiding until a new exit strategy can be worked out.

The ruthless doctor, who performed horrific acts on imprisoned Jews during the Holocaust, begins using mind games preying on the weaknesses of these three vulnerable individuals in an effort to drive them mad and gain a psychological advantage. Rachel, Sam and Stephan take turns feeding and guarding their prisoner. While being cooped up in this tiny space, Rachel becomes pregnant and finds herself grappling with romantic feelings. A rift develops between Sam and Stephan on how to complete the mission.

Madden whets your appetite in the present day, but spends the bulk of the first half in 1965-66 uncovering the mystery of what actually transpired. You get a chill running up and down your spine every time Rachel gets in the stirrups and is examined by this creepy doctor. The character development and relationships with one another are masterfully done. The suspense builds in intensity and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Madden does a good job of differentiating between two different decades as the emotional and moral stakes heighten over time. When the storyline returns to the present day, the movie focuses on Rachel’s sense of duty to face up to her debt and take matters into her own hands.

Acting accolades go to Mirren and Chastain, who pass the baton in playing the part of Rachel. Mirren is a class act who brings dignity and grace to this role. Chastain carries the film on her shoulders in every scene that she appears in. She uses her beauty and talent to score a knockout. She is carving her name into acting history with a string of unforgettable performances this year.

Christensen’s performance rises to the level of the Academy Award-winning turn of Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds.” You hate him with every fiber of your being. His derogatory comments include “You Jews only knew how to die and not to kill.”

Besides the splendid acting and the riveting story, the movie’s other strengths include the fight choreography and an original musical score by composer Thomas Newman (“American Beauty” and “The Shawshank Redemption”). The movie makes effective use of its principal filming locations in London, Tel Aviv and Budapest, Hungary.

The movie was honored with the Special Police [Jury] Prize at the 2011 Beaune International Thriller Film Festival.
It brought back for me memories of political thrillers like “Three Days of the Condor” and “Marathon Man” and more recently “Black Book.”

The dialogue is partially in German with English subtitles. The movie is rated R for violence and language. It has a running time of 114 minutes and merits my rating of GOOD (3 stars out of 4).

Rock Chalk Hillel

I enjoyed your extensive coverage in the Aug. 18 issue about KU Hillel under the spirited leadership of Jay Lewis.

Our daughter Melissa spent four very happy and productive years in Lawrence, thanks largely to Hillel and also KU Chabad. She was actively involved and served as Hillel’s student president. Jay was a wonderful mentor to Melissa and his teachings remain with her to this day.

The emblem of KU Hillel is a cartoon of a smiling Jayhawk, wearing a yarmulke and tallis. This is very appropriate — they do not take themselves too seriously, show love and appreciation for KU and proudly display their Judaism. Jay is a remarkable person and knows how to make a successful Jewish organization.

Jeff Horen
Overland Park, Kan.

Rapid response

On behalf of myself, Rabbi Mendy Wineberg of Chabad House, and all our clients I would like to thank you for bringing attention to the current needs of the Yachad Food Pantry. I also would like to give my gratitude to everyone in the community who has responded. The answer to the Jewish Chronicle’s call for action was immediate and generous. It really brought out the best of Kansas City’s Jewish community.

Dan Kass of KI organized a food drive by offering free drinks at a Kosher Country BBQ. Congregation Beth Torah, under the direction of Farrah Green, has already begun an emergency food drive. Last in line but not in importance are the individuals who have dropped food directly off to the pantry this week. Every single can makes a difference!

The donations began arriving within 48 hours of the paper’s publication. During the month of July Yachad gave food assistance to approximately 150 households. With the compassion of Kansas City and Hashem’s blessings we hope to be able to continue for a very long time.

Sherrill Parkhurst
Yachad Kosher Food Pantry

I am writing this article from Israel.

It is good to see all the friends and family, and I have enjoyed telling stories about my experiences and plans. But I think — more than anything — I am moved by the little things: signs in Hebrew, the view from the car, smelling the air, and yes, I guess the sun and the heat too.

Israel remained the same while I was away, but everything here is so focused on its existence. People talk about survival and security, not to mention other big issues like the challenges Israel faces in keeping democracy with all the threats around us, the economy, the real estate bubble, and more. But it boils down to this: People here are happy and they love their country.

Back to Kansas

While I enjoy my vacation, I am still very excited to get back to Kansas in mid September. Now is the perfect time to plan ahead and reflect on my first year in Kansas:

In the past eight months, I have met many people, and had the chance to work with teenagers, children and adults. I have orchestrated events, big and small. I have created and led activities, prepared people for trips to Israel, and taught and lectured.
It is not easy to work and live in a new place, a new culture, all alone. But I am happy to say that I felt only love around me from everybody, and mostly — love for Israel.

When I tell people here how much the Kansas City community loves Israel and believes in it, they are so happy. They know how important your support is.

I look toward next year with hope that we could bring Israel together to everybody in the community. I say “we” because I believe that we should do that together: all of you who love Israel, all of you who care. I hope to see you at events and lectures; I would love to hear your thoughts. And I hope to see you among our volunteers.

As the Israel emissary, I am only one person. I will do my best to be there for the community. But I cannot do it alone. I urge you to ask me questions, have discussions and to always keep the subject of Israel alive. It is important for the next generation and for their relationship with Israel. And I am happy to do anything I can to assist you in spreading the word about Israel. I am happy to speak to groups in your home and discuss any Israel-related topic in a free and honest way.

Next year, I hope to meet even more Kansas Citians. As I make myself even more accessible to the community, I ask you to think of me as a resource for you. A resource which will gladly help you get the information you need regarding Israel, Hebrew language, etc.

We have some big communitywide events planned for the coming year, so please stay tuned for more information. We will also continue with the movie club, and I look forward to meeting you and your family — whether at an area synagogue, the Jewish Community Campus, or some other event.

If you’re not yet my friend on Facebook, now is the time: Search for Lilach Nissim Shlicha to find me, or feel free to contact me via phone at 913- 327-8124.

Thank you for your hospitality, kindness and warmth. I am excited to come back to Kansas City. Thanks too, to the amazing people at the Jewish Federation, for creating the perfect work environment for me.

I’ll see you in mid-September.

Attack off base

I would normally be reluctant to take issue with my long-time acquaintance Sol Batnitzky in print, but the extreme sarcasm of his letter in your Aug. 4 issue, referring to the “so called Kansas City Jewish Chronicle,” demands a response. Dr. Batnitzky is upset at The Chronicle for its failure to report on a theater telecast of a concert by the Israel Philharmonic. To begin with, this was a telecast, not a local event. Furthermore, it is possible that The Chronicle was not made aware of the event.

On a number of occasions, I have contacted The Chronicle on behalf of the Lyric Opera or Civic Opera when there was a Jewish angle, and the editors have always provided coverage of the event, including a recent half-page article (including a photograph) when an Israeli-born singer starred in a Lyric production. From my experience, Dr. Batnitzky’s attack was way off base.

Stu Lewis
Prairie Village, Kan.

Setting the record straight

In a recent article about Jewish Employment Services program, the Jewish Heritage Foundation was inadvertently omitted as a funder. Throughout the years, Jewish community funders (the Jewish Heritage Foundation, the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation) have been instrumental in the success of this program, which provides career counseling and job placement assistance to members of the Kansas City Jewish community who are unemployed or underemployed.

JVS also wishes to clarify information that appeared in the Aug.11 Jewish Chronicle about the JVS Baltimore Ave. Dime Store staying open for First Fridays. The article read that we stay open until 9 p.m., but we actually close at 8 p.m. or before as to not conflict with Shabbat. We are only open late in the summer months.

Joy Foster
JVS Executive Director

QUESTION: I know that we just recently finished the Hebrew month of Tammuz. That sounds like a strange word for a Hebrew name. Where did we get the names of our Hebrew months from?

ANSWER: The names of the Hebrew months evolved as we traveled from exile to exile and into the Diaspora. A number of the names of Hebrew months are definitely not originally Hebrew words. Tammuz may be one that is not. More specifically the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, also known as Marcheshvan, is probably not Jewish in origin.

Some of these months had different names in earlier times such as in the Bible itself. For example, there was a time when the spring months, probably Nisan, was known as “Chodesh Zeev” which means something like the month of “spring.”

Other names more specifically were acquired during exiles and captivity. There are many theories as to the name of Cheshvan, the month which occurs in the fall right after the High Holidays. The fuller name of Cheshvan, “Marcheshvan,” ironically, was the name of a pagan god in Babylonia known as “Marchbena” which sounds suspiciously similar to “Marcheshvan” in our Hebrew calendar. You know of course we were exiled to Babylon after the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. We were very much assimilated and picked up traditions from their culture even though they were pagans.

Incidentally, there are all  kinds of theories as to why Cheshvan, which is its simpler name, acquired the more complicated sounding name “Marcheshvan.”

Cheshvan is the only month that does not have any kind of holiday, fast or event contained in it in the entire year. That fact has led people to theorize that the addition of “mar” might refer to bitter as in the Hebrew word “marror” such as we have in the Passover seder for the bitter herbs. Another theory is that “mar” which means “mr” in Hebrew was added to Cheshvan to add a little more significance or “upgrade” the name since it was void of holidays “to make it feel better.” I suspect in all likelihood, though it may seem a little uncomfortable for us, that it is much more likely that we picked up the name “marcheshvan” in Babylon where the name was used for one of their pagan gods.

There are a number of elements in Jewish history and even Jewish theology where we were exposed to practices of other religions and cultures. We may have advertently or inadvertently adopted certain practices, “Judaicized” them” and over centuries made them a part of our tradition. This does not make these practices bad or evil; it is just an ingredient of cultural evolution of Judaism over many hundreds or thousands of years.

During my 20 visits to Israel I had always wanted but never had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem’s oldest synagogue, The Karaite Synagogue in the Old City’s Jewish quarter. Every single time I tried, no one was inside to open the door or show me around. Thus, I felt really lucky to turn a corner to find the synagogue’s gate open, and a few tourists standing at its entrance.

We were even luckier to meet Shuki, the man with the nicest and sweetest smile in Israel according to my wife! Joshua Levy (Shuki) is the administrator of The Karaite Kenasa (their word for Beit Kneset) Synagogue and the greatest cheerleader for Karaite Judaism. Although I have had a great deal of interest and curiosity about Karaite Jews, and have visited Karaite synagogues and cemeteries in Eastern Europe, this was my first opportunity to meet a real Karaite.

Shuki graciously took us on a tour of the synagogue/community center. When he realized I was better informed than most tourists and asked good questions, he went out of his way to try to explain the Karaite beliefs and positions. While seeing their beautiful museum, he told me that one of his missions is to get out the Karaite version of facts rather than what others think or say about them. For instance, their synagogue is located in what amounts today to the basement of the building and that is usually explained by non-Karaite tour guides as the fulfillment of Psalm 130 that says, “Out of the depths have I called Thee, O the Lord. Lord, hearken unto my voice; let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.”

Shuki said that their explanation was not accurate. Because the Karaite Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Jerusalem, built over 1,300 years ago, it was located at street level during that time. Today, after so much destruction and construction, the street level is a whole floor up. Similarly, we discussed many of the myths and legends I had heard about Karaites, including the one that no Karaites were murdered by Nazis.

Annan ben David, who lived in 8th century Babylon is deemed to be the founder of Karaism. Karaites believe that they observe the original form of Judaism, as prescribed by God in the Tanakh, and do not accept what they consider to be later additions to the Tanakh, such as the Oral Law of Rabbinic Judaism. They place the ultimate responsibility of interpreting the Tanakh on each individual. Karaism does not reject biblical interpretation but rather holds every interpretation up to the same objective scrutiny regardless of its source.

At some point Karaites may have been as much as 40 percent of world Jewry, but nowadays they are less than 50,000 worldwide. I have always wondered what were the causes for Karaism’s near demise. Shuki’s explanation made lots of sense. He told me that since Rabbinic Judaism (what we think of as normative Judaism) has made so many adaptations and created ways to make life easier (for instance using a Shabbat elevator or timer on Shabbat or the idea of creating an eruv to allow people to walk farther on Shabbat), the Karaite practices and way of life became too hard for people so they abandoned Karaism for Rabbinic Judaism. Since there are so few Karaite Jews today, many end up marrying into Rabbinic Judaism and abandon their practices.

As we were about to leave I thanked Shuki for the tour, chat and explanations and told him I had only one complaint: why wasn’t there a gift shop? No tourist site worth its salt is without a gift shop! He produced the only thing they had for sale: a Karaite mezuzah, that in fact is only an image of the Ten Commandments, that Karaites put on their doorposts, but without the claf, the prayer that goes inside. I bought one and it now rests in the doorpost of Temple Israel’s office. It is for me a reminder that Judaism is a diverse, multi faceted and ever evolving religion.

“Sarah’s Key” is a war drama based on the beloved best-selling 2007 novel by Tatiana de Rosnay. The characters are entirely fictitious, but they put names and faces to the 13,000 Jews arrested by the French police in the great Velodrome d’ Hiver roundup that took place on July 16, 1942, in the heart of Paris. The book and movie adaptation tell a story that should never be forgotten. It is a tribute to the 76,000 Jews deported from France during the Holocaust with special mention to the children who never came back and the few lucky ones that survived. The movie opens tomorrow (Friday, Aug. 19) exclusively for a limited engagement at the Glenwood Arts and AMC Town Center 20.

The movie begins with a loud pounding on the door of the third floor apartment located in the Marais district of Paris. The French police are there to take into custody the Polish Jewish family named Starzynski consisting of husband Wladyslaw, 32, his wife Rywka, 30, their 10-year-old daughter Sarah (Melusine Mayance) and 4-year-old son Michel.

After answering the door, Sarah goes into the bedroom and tells Michel to pretend they are playing a game of hide-and-seek. He climbs into the long, deep cupboard in the wall and Sarah locks him in. She slips the titular key in her pocket. She whispers to him through the wooden panel, “I’ll come back for you later. I promise.”

The movie shifts gears and fast forwards to Paris of 2009. American journalist Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas from “The English Patient” and “Gosford Park”) gets an assignment to do a 10-page article for her Parisian-based magazine on the thousands of Jewish families locked up for days in the summer of 1942 at the famous indoor stadium where bicycle races were held. Julia is married to architect Bertrand Tezac and they have an 11-year-old daughter Zoe. They are on the verge of moving into an apartment previously occupied for more than 66 years by Bertrand’s paternal grandparents, Andre and Mame Tezac.

Sarah and her parents spend several deplorable days in the stadium before being transported in an overcrowded truck to a transit camp. Upon arrival, Sarah and her mother are separated from Wladysaw. Later, Sarah is separated from her mother. Both her parents end up in the crematoriums of Auschwitz.

Julia visits Mame at the nursing home and learns that the apartment has a history tracing back to World War II. It turns out that the Tezac family moved in right after a Jewish family was deported. Julia determines from the records that the family’s name was Starzynski and this ties the two story threads together. Julia begins a genealogical search to find the missing Sarah.

On the domestic front, Julia finds out from a home testing kit that she is pregnant. When she tells Bertrand the good news over dinner, he insists that she have an abortion.

Other characters that play key roles in Sarah’s survival tale include fellow prisoner Rachel, a kind policeman named Jacques and foster parents Genevieve and Jules Dufaure (Niels Arestrup from “Farewell,” “A Prophet” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”). Genevieve and Jules are representative of those most deserving non-Jews declared Righteous among the Nations at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

The movie jumps back and forth in time during its entirety. Sarah’s story is much more compelling and the audience is fully invested in her fate. It feels like an intrusion on the forward momentum in 1942 every time we are forced to switch tracks returning to the present day. Julia’s decision whether to abort or not seems trivial compared to Sarah’s dire straits that teeter on the edge of life and death. There is much less tension in 2009 and an absence of a rooting interest for the journalist.

Although a wonderful story, it seems to come out in fits and starts. The slow, meandering pace may be a turnoff to those unfamiliar with the novel. The movie also does a poor job of identifying characters. The quest for the truth and the search for a missing person from the Holocaust is the fascination that keeps us engaged in the mystery.

Mayance, in her feature film debut, takes the cake in the acting category. She is natural and believable in the most important role in the movie. Thomas is a reliable class act with innumerable thespian gifts. Arestrup is a French treasure and has appeared in some of my all-time favorite foreign language films. Another familiar actor to American audiences, Aidan Quinn (“Songcatcher” and “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”) plays a vital role in the last act.

The movie debuted at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and began making the rounds about a month ago in major U.S. cities.

The dialogue is partially in French, German and Italian with English subtitles. The movie is rated PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing situations involving the Holocaust. It has a running time of 111 minutes and merits my rating of GOOD (3 stars out of 4).

As a postscript, I highly recommend that you read the EXCELLENT book to fill in all the missing blanks. I rank the novel right up there with “The Diary of Anne Frank.” It kept me up all night and the 293 heartfelt pages will linger in my memory forever.

What is a Bat Mitzvah? A rite of passage for girls? A sacred ceremony in front of your congregation? All of these are right answers. But for me, Bat Mitzvahs are about giving back to the community.

Last summer, I volunteered at Operation Breakthrough (an organization to help children in poverty by giving them a safe environment to grow in). I played outside with kids about 4 years old. They had lots of fun and so did I. But, there was something bittersweet about this experience. These children lived lives unfairly made for them. I thought it would be great to see them happy again and again.

I became a Bat Mitzvah on June 25 at Congregation Beth Shalom. Because of my experiences with Operation Breakthrough, I decided to collect school supplies for the organization and make stuffed animals for the kids. As a group, I gathered my cousins and a couple of my friends (both Jewish and non Jewish) to make teddy bears for the kids.

Then, the week after my Bat Mitzvah, I was able to visit Operation Breakthrough again to make the special deliveries! With my mom and dad’s help, I went with my sister Ariel and my brother Joel to Operation Breakthrough where an employee, Jennifer Heinemann, took us to two different classrooms.

The first room was full of children about 2 and 3 years old. The children were so excited to see the bears! Some boys even gave each other hugs because they were so happy! Then, after we gave out the bears, some helpers set up tables and chairs for lunchtime and the kids sang the “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

The second room was for the 3 and 4 year olds. They had a different reaction to the bears than the first one. While the kids in the first classroom immediately played with the bears, the kids in the second one politely thanked us (first) and then started playing with them.

After visiting both rooms, we helped Jennifer store the school supplies that will be distributed in time for school to begin in the fall. Materials that we used to store the school supplies and deliver the bears will also be put to good use by Operation Breakthrough.

That is why Bat Mitzvahs are such a special thing. It’s a mitzvah to help people who need it most.

Hannah is the daughter of Ann Karty and Billy Silverman.