IN THE B'NAI ISRAEL FAMILY
Bat Mitzvah of Sarah Horwitz
October 5, 2002
Sarah presents as poised, confident and out going. She attends Tarbut v' Torah and is in the 7th grade. Sarah's favorite subjects are art and history and she expresses a special liking of Hebrew and Judaic studies. She is talented in art and paints in oils. Sarah enjoys life and derives pleasure from whatever she does. She loves to be with her friends and shopping is her "favorite thing to do". Sarah likes to go to the movies to be entertained, reads mystery books and reports her poodle dog Franklin, "is fun to be with". Sarah has a balance between fun and seriousness. She is very caring and concerned about others and likes to help others whenever she can. Sarah helps others with their homework and when they are having trouble at school. She is "there" when people need her, and listens to her friends. Sarah reports she is the "baby" in her family. She likes it that way because "I always get my way and I have got them to blame".
The CBI Mitzvah Day influenced Sarah in her choice of a mitzvah project. Her mother and brother learned about the Linus Project when they participated in the Mitzvah Day and shared what they had learned with Sarah. The Linus Project makes baby blankets which they provide to the homeless, to shelters and hospitals to give to the "little children". Sarah enjoys sewing and sews pillows in addition to blankets. Sarah reports that when she grows up she wants to be a chef, a pastry chef. She loves making sweets, cakes, cookies and pies and keeps her family well fed.
Sarah is proud and excited about her upcoming Bat Mitzvah. She will be joined in celebration by her parents Stephanie and Marc; her 18 year old sister, Lauren, who will be coming from college; her 14 year old brother Aaron; as well as relatives and friends.
BaR Mitzvah of Glenn Goldsteins
October 12, 2002
Glenn says he cannot wait to have his Bar Mitzvah. He feels nervous and excited and really wants to make his family and friends feel proud. Glenn describes himself as a "loving kind of a person" who is very sensitive and feels very close to his immediate and extended family. He is a 7th grade student at El Rancho Charter School, in Anaheim Hills. Social Studies is his favorite subject and he especially enjoys learning about "past history". Glenn sees himself as " a normal person" who likes to be with friends , doing the normal things one does with friends like talking on the phone, going to each others' houses, hanging out and having fun. He loves dancing and music. Bar Mitzvah training took preference over his Hip Hop lessons. He enjoys listening to "punk" music and likes Bob Marley. Glenn also loves action movies. Glenn thinks he is "cool to hang around with"; friends feel they can talk to him about their problems; he helps them with their homework and is always there for advice when needed. He is an active member of CBI U.S.Y. and enjoys going to the events.
Glenn participated in the CBI Mitzvah Day and went to the Ronald McDonald House. He enjoyed it so much he just kept going there. Ronald McDonald House became his mitzvah project. He performs all different kinds of tasks from cleaning bathrooms to baking cookies and meal preparation. Glenn's Parsha is about Noah. The lesson he is learning is a difficult one in real life, " to look for the goodness in people even though they are bad".
Glenn will be joined in celebration by his parents Sylvia and Alan, and his 21year old brother Scott, relatives from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego and friends. Glenn is so happy his brother is coming. He is very close to him and feels lonely now that he is away at college. Glenn says his brother is always there for him, has been a wonderful role model and helps him with his homework.
Bat Mitzvah of Hannah Rosenthal
October 19, 2002
Hannah has attended Fairmont Private School since pre-school. She is now in the 8th grade. Literature is her favorite subject. She loves reading mystery books especially those written by Agatha Chrisite. She is very excited to be a member of her school cheer squad and will support the school athletic teams at games and pep rallies. Hannah is really social, loves being with friends, talking on the phone, going to movies, going shopping and spending time on the internet. Hannah describes herself as liking to talk a lot. She says she is "sometimes funny", jokes around a lot and loves to make other people laugh. Hannah wants to be a stage actress. She participates in the school drama club and in school plays.
Hannah has attended Hebrew School at CBI for the past 2 1/2 years. She has made many friends and besides having a good time socially, she feels she has learned a lot. Her Parsha is about G-d telling Abraham to go and find a new land, to trust in G-d in everything. Abraham did and it all turned out well. Hannah says from this she is learning to be "open to new ideas and experiences even when things seem scary or when you don't know what will happen because if you trust in G-d it will be O.K." Hannah is working at Korean Community Services for her mitzvah project. She learned about this project from her mother. The center helps people "get off drugs and alcohol". Hannah helps out in the office with filing and paperwork and also learned how to make a wall collage for children's rooms, for children in the "middle of a bad divorce or something, the collage is made from comics and stuff that can make them laugh and smile" and forget their troubles for a little while.
Hannah 's 6 year old sister Keren, helped her prepare for her Bat Mitzvah by keeping out of her way. Hannah reports that being the "big sister" is kind of hard because you have to be more responsible, get blamed for stuff and always have to set a good example.
Hannah is thrilled her parents Howard and Ingrid, sister Keren, Grandparents from Florida, relatives from New York and friends will be with her in celebration of her special day.
Bar Mitzvah of Michael Sassounian
October 26, 2002
Michael is very excited about his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. For him it is not only the celebration of this important milestone in his life, but an opportunity to see all his friends from CBI and school. Michael attended CBI "forever, since kindergarten" and attended Dwyer School. A couple of weeks ago his family moved to Beverly Hills. Michael has had to start a new school El Rodeo where he is in the 8th grade and also has to make all new friends as he has left all of his lifelong friends back in Orange County. Michael will miss U.S.Y. but is going to join a group in his area and that way he will still be able to get together with friends at some U.S.Y events. Michael's favorite school subject is math. He is looking to participate in some of the activities he enjoys like playing soccer, basketball, and playing the trumpet in band. Michael likes to "go out and do stuff." He enjoys going to the movies, playing video games, spending time on the computer, reading science fiction and listening to all kinds of music. Michael is not sure what he wants to do when grown up. He thinks he might want to study medicine or follow in his fathers' footsteps and become a Developer and build.
Michael is still in the process of adapting and getting settled into his new life. He hopes to work at a senior center for his mitzvah project. He feels "pretty confident" and prepared for his Bar Mitzvah. He is thrilled his parents Deborah and Bijan, 20 year old brother Brian, 18 year old sister Michelle , 11 year old brother Aaron, relatives from Los Angeles and friends will be joining him in celebration. Michael feels lucky that his whole family lives close by.