by Robert Wiener
NJJN Staff Writer

January 31, 2008

Bringing together nearly 1,000 pre-b’nei mitzva youngsters from 25 area religious schools, the annual Mitzvot of MetroWest was held on the Aidekman Jewish Community Campus in Whippany on Jan. 27. Sponsored by the Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life, the event featured 22 organizations offering opportunities for giving projects for the young mitzva-seekers.

The keynote address was given by Gabrielle Flaum of Short Hills, a Millburn High School student and president of the youth group at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange. One year ago she founded SOS: Save Our Soldiers, a teen advocacy group committed to the release of Israeli soldiers kidnapped in 2006. New Jersey State Sen. Tom Kean Jr. was in attendance to hear Gabrielle’s address, in which she urged the youngsters in attendance to follow their hearts and not get caught up in materialism:

“It’s easy to get wrapped up in the material parts of your bar or bat mitzvah,” she said. “Take some advice from someone who has been through the process, finding something that you care passionately about is 100 times better than the thrill of an over-the-top party.

“At my bat mitzva, instead of fancy centerpieces, I donated money for Israeli kids who were terrorized by a recent wave of violence to spend a summer at my Jewish sleep-away camp. The satisfaction of seeing these Israelis at my camp lasted much longer than centerpieces would have.”

Among the new presenters at Mitzvot of MetroWest were The Morris Rubell Holocaust Remembrance Journeys, which takes high school classes on day trips to the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC, and The Valerie Fund, which provides support for the care of children with cancer and blood disorders.

A major innovation this year was the creation of a Web site that offers information on mitzva opportunities and a forum for the exchange of ideas about carrying them out. The site was created and maintained by teen interns at The Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life.