Roots<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSuddenly, as she becomes bat mitzvah, a girl begins to hear the voice of her soul. The needs, yearnings, and feelings of her spiritual inner self are allowed to emerge. She begins to seek meaning, fulfilment, connection, and inspiration. She meets a side to her personality that she never knew existed \u2013 a deeper side.\u201d This is both the goal and the mission statement of the Roots bat mitzvah programme, which is offered to all schools and shuls under the auspices of the Chief Rabbi\u2019s Office. Debbie Seeff, who heads up the Roots programme, is constantly looking at the programme to ensure that the Roots programme \u201cbecomes this space\u201d, this \u201cplatform\u201d from which a bat mitzvah girl can \u201cexplore her inner self and connect to her neshoma\u201d.<\/p>\n In a year that can all to easily become focused entirely on the party, d\u00e9cor, invitations, dresses, colour schemes, and more of the trappings of the bat mitzvah year, the Roots programme aims to ensure that the spiritual side of becoming a Jewish woman is given equal focus and importance.<\/p>\n While including fundamental topics such as mitzvah observance, Shabbos, kashrus, chagim, brachot, and other aspects of Jewish observance and life, the syllabus addresses the pressing issue of \u201cbecoming\u201d a bat mitzvah \u2013 a daughter of the mitzvahs \u2013 as opposed to \u201chaving\u201d a bat mitzvah \u2013 a party or celebration. We focus on showing the girls that they now have choices, ones that will impact them for years to come; ones that can ensure that they remain a strong link in the Jewish chain to which they are privileged to belong.\u201d Choices that, when made with thought and understanding, can impact and enhance the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n Beyond the lessons and content of the syllabus, says Debbie, the girls have a \u201cunique opportunity to connect with their dynamic teacher\u201d (each shul employs a teacher to run the shul\u2019s bat mitzvah group). \u201cThese are dynamic, powerful, creative, and inspiring women. And, through them, the participants get to connect to the rabbi and rebbetzin of their shul, other dynamic community members, exposure to Jewish community organisations \u2013 and an overarching sense of connection and belonging to their community and shul.\u201d<\/p>\n But it\u2019s also fun, as the programme gives the girls a chance to let their hair down amidst all the learning and growing through the informal programme: outings, challah bakes, chessed opportunities, and the chance to explore their creative and artistic side as well. \u201cBut what makes the programme so unique is the connections it creates. It gives girls the opportunity to connect to other girls their age, to have a mentor and role model in their teacher, and to experience an intellectual and spiritual journey throughout the duration of this milestone year that will have them emerge as strong Jewish women in the know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur wish is that the girl, once exposed to the opportunities and structures that exist within our community, will be able to take initiative and become a participant in more of what goes on in our amazing South African Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n Roots also organise events that unite all the different shul groups together, which is often a highlight of the programme. \u201cWe try to expose the girls to elements of the community or mitzvah opportunities that they may not know about \u2013 like volunteering for chessed programmes, giving ma\u2019aser money (one-tenth to charity) from one\u2019s earnings or gifts \u2013 to help the girls take what they have learned throughout the year beyond their bat mitzvah and into their lives going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an absolute privilege to be involved with girls of this age, at such a pivotal stage in their growth and development. Even more so, the privilege is to work with the unbelievable teachers who run the programmes, who commit themselves so wholeheartedly to shaping the next generation of Jewish women.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information, contact your shul office.<\/p>\n Chabad of Sandton<\/strong><\/p>\n The combination of Roots as well as the Chabad Bat Mitzvah Club Programme from New York offered at the Chabad of Sandton\u2019s Bat Mitzvah Club makes for a fun and, at the same time, serious programme through which bat mitzvah girls get ready for their big day.<\/p>\n In the programme, girls can use their bat mitzvah year \u201cto grow and learn in a fun, energetic, and positive environment, gaining a deep and meaningful understanding about what it means to become bat mitzvah\u201d, says Penina Minkowitz, Director of Chabad of Sandton\u2019s bat mitzvah programme. \u201cOur goal is to inspire Jewish girls to become confident, smart, thoughtful, proud Jewish women who understand that there is more to their bat mitzvah than just the party.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy aim is that each girl walk away absolutely living and loving her Yiddishkeit,\u201d says Penina. It\u2019s important because not only is it the introduction for these girls into how they will live their lives as Jewish women, but it is also a great way to set the tone for them to model their future decisions on as well. \u201cAs they enter adulthood, they are encouraged to be aware that each of them has a mission and purpose not only as a Jewish woman, but as a human being; a human being who is responsible and accountable to her family, friends, communities, and the world in general.\u201d This is a big realisation and Penina helps them make sense of this while keeping their individual sense of identity and personality as well.<\/p>\n Each class is a get-together that includes learning, food, crafts, and socialising with girls who live near them, daven with them, and who are experiencing the same milestone. And the already exciting programme of learning is spiced up by fun and unique extra events and activities \u2013 a hamentaschen bake, an Amazing Race, a mum-and-daughter challah bake, and a variety of crafts which give the girls a chance to express their own creativity. \u201cTogether we decide on a special chessed initiative that as a group we can implement and thereby give of ourselves and learn the importance of paying it forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps most importantly, says Penina, is that the group\u2019s number is limited. This is done purposefully in order to give each girl a chance to truly shine in her own uniqueness.<\/p>\n The culmination of the programme is a ceremony and a special event, which brings the girls and their families together to celebrate the months of learning and growth they have just completed, and to salute their accomplishment. Each girl receives a certificate and a gift from the shul. \u201cOf course, our deepest hope and prayer is that this ceremony that marks the end of the programme is merely a doorway that will lead the girls into an ever-growing, proud relationship with our beautiful heritage and her own Yiddishkeit.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information, email: shul@chabadofsandton.za, or call: Penina 082-858-8819<\/p>\n Emunah <\/strong><\/p>\n In keeping with so many of the inspiring projects that The Emunah Ladies Beit Midrash run, it is not surprising that they run a very special bat mitzvah programme for Jewish girls in grade 6 that is increasingly popular among the girls. \u201cThe programme is not associated with any particular school, which makes it special and means that we get a wonderful cross section of girls, enabling new and long-lasting friendships and exposure to people you otherwise might not have met,\u201d says Melissa Chipkin and Hilary Segal who oversee the programme.<\/p>\n The programme has been running for 12 years and, each year, the team at Emunah polishes and perfects the content to give the girls a year of diverse learning as they become young Jewish women. This keeps it new and exciting and fresh, without repetition from year to year. \u201cWe are so blessed in our community to have such a variety of unbelievable and inspiring people who are always willing to share their talents and expertise with our eager young minds.\u201d<\/p>\n The year begins with laying down goals for the coming year and for life in general. The girls then go on to learn a variety of topics, both religious and secular, including the value of good middos, being a true friend, Shabbos, Jewish women, Jewish identity, gratitude, breaking boundaries, hashgacha pratis, and a love for the State of Israel. \u201cWe have two very special sessions where we invite all the mums to make challah with us and another where the dads join us in a fun, cultural evening.\u201d This brings the family together and helps the girl\u2019s parents understand and relate to the way that she is growing, and so a part of them may join her on this journey too.<\/p>\n The programme culminates with an \u201cintimate ceremony\u201d where the girls get the chance to showcase different aspects of what they have learned throughout the year and the various chesed projects that they have undertaken. The event is the highlight of the year, a coming of age for the girls and their graduation into womanhood. \u201cThere are so many different options available to girls these days, and not every course is for every girl. But, at Emunah, we try our best to be inclusive, to have a range of subjects and experiences and, of course, have a lot of fun while learning and growing into beautiful batei Yisrael.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information, call: 011 786 7718, or email: emunahlbm@gmail.com<\/p>\n Torah Academy<\/strong><\/p>\n The programme used in Torah Academy for the bat mitzvah girls is an unbelievable opportunity for these girls to explore their Judaism while they journey into becoming Jewish women. The programme, explains Sorale Rodal, who has headed it up for many years, was compiled by a Chabad woman in the USA and was created for frum girls who are already living an orthodox lifestyle and need to learn on a deeper level.<\/p>\n The programme is run throughout the grade 6 year, and, even though for some their actual bat mitzvah birthday has passed, while for others it\u2019s a run up to the event, there is no doubt that the girls experience a profound and positive impact on their lives and their Judaism by the end of the year.<\/p>\n The programme covers topics such as the reason behind bat mitzvah, Tehillim, the neshama, Shabbos, kashrus, women\u2019s obligations, and more. It\u2019s taught in school, weekly, and each month the topic they are learning is consolidated with a Saturday night meeting \u2013 melaveh malka \u2013 in one of the girl\u2019s homes. At these events the girls themselves run the meeting, and there is a guest speaker and often a game or craft. This makes the topic more practical and applicable to them, lets them have fun, connect, and create memories at the same time. \u201cThe concept behind the programme is to view themselves differently once they\u2019ve turned bat mitzvah, through the topics that are covered and the experiences that the girls have on the programme, and of course the connections they make.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information, email: rodalfamily@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Girls celebrating their bat mitzvah year have so much to choose from to help them find meaning from their special day. By Chandrea Serebro Roots \u201cSuddenly, as she becomes bat mitzvah, a girl begins to hear the voice of her soul. The needs, yearnings, and feelings of her spiritual inner self are allowed to emerge. She begins to seek meaning, fulfilment, connection, and inspiration. She meets a side to her personality that she never knew existed \u2013 a deeper side.\u201d This is both the goal and the mission statement of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-48","category-march-2019"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1407,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1406\/revisions\/1407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}