Bar/Bat Mitzvah Stories

COMFORTING CARE FOR KIDS

For her bat mitzvah back in March this year, Rebecca Ainis (say: EYE-niss) had her guests— about 50 teens, tweens, and kids— work on two mitzvah projects. They were different, but what they had in common was that they helped kids who were in need of comfort.

For one, the kids made blankets for Project Linus. This is program is named for Charlie Brown’s friend Linus, from the comics page, who always carries a security blanket. Project Linus gives hand-made blankets to kids who are sick or poor, or who have been through something like an earthquake or flood. To make a Linus blanket, you don’t have to know how to sew! Some blankets made by “blanketeers” are knitted. But many are made by kids who tie two thin blankets together— usually one with a cute pattern and one in a matching plain color. This makes an extra-cozy comforter for a kid who really needs comforting!

The second project was to make busy bags for kids whose parents had to go to the emergency room. Rebecca’s friends made bags of activities for younger kids with crayons, stickers, and cartoon magnets. The ones for older kids had fun puzzles like crosswords, sudokus, and words finds, plus multi-colored pens to do them with, or just draw. The busy bags will be given to kids who come to the emergency room at the Mt. Sinai hospital, which is supported by JUF.

Earlier, Rebecca read from the Torah, recited her Haftarah, lead the musaf service, and gave a speech! Her bat mitzvah was held at Temple Judea Mizpah in Skokie, but a lot of her friends were from her school, Solomon Schechter Middle School in Northbrook.