Center for Tikkun Olam B’nai Mitzvah Profiles

For my mitzvah project, I taught karate classes this summer at Hope the Mission’s the Woodlands, a shelter in Woodland Hills for families experiencing homelessness. Last fall, I became a black belt in karate and wanted to share my love and knowledge of karate with kids who might not have the resources to take karate classes. I know they are expensive, and it is not always easy to get to a karate studio.

I’ve been doing karate since kindergarten, and it has always been my favorite activity. Karate has been so meaningful because I have been practicing and getting better. Every time I get a new belt, I set a new goal to get the next one. I love that the goal of becoming a black belt is not about becoming perfect but about improving on what you know. I showed this to the kids during the classes I taught.

About 10-15 kids attended each karate class. With money I was awarded from my school’s community service grant, I was able to purchase supplies that made the kids feel like they were stepping into a karate studio. One of the things that the kids liked.the most was learning how to tie the karate belts before each class and showing their friends who were new to a class how to tie them. At the start of each class, I taught the kids the six basic positions, and then we would play a fun game of Simon Says to see how well they remembered each move. I also taught them how to kick and punch, and the kids were always eager to show off their new skills. I also incorporated some fun games into each class to help with coordination, including limbo and jumping over or dunking under a pool noodle. I ended each class with story time, reading a book about karate.

The kids had a really good time and were excited to come back for each class. They even asked when I would be back in the fall. I hope to make this a year-round activity since the kids I worked with seemed to love karate as much as me. One even asked me when he would get his black belt.

— henry Arinsburg

Do you have a tikkun olam project you’d like featured? Let us know by emailing Rabbi Ron Stern.

On the second night of Hanukkah, Cooper West  had the honor of distributing gifts to the 8 Israeli families who attended Wise School during the Gaza War! Cooper’s family and friends purchased items from an Amazon wishlist he and his family created to honor his Bar Mitzvah.  He gave out all the gifts on the wishlist to the families. Included with each gift bag was a letter (translated in Hebrew) from “us” (the donors) to them, so that they knew that this project was much bigger than me … over 30 different families from all different areas of Cooper’s life contributed. He’s deeply grateful to all who supported his cause.

From Cooper:

It meant so much to me to be able to package the gifts, hand them out, and see the joy and happiness on the kids faces. More importantly, with the help of my family and all of you, we were able to bring them some light in what has been a very dark two months. Most of the kids’ parents were there too and shared stories of what they have experienced at home and how welcoming and supportive our community has been. And, while some of them are preparing or are already back in Israel, knowing that the people in our community supported them enough to give them a special Hanukkah while they were here, meant so much to them.

Do you have a tikkun olam project you’d like featured? Let us know by emailing Rabbi Ron Stern.

Ben Arinsburg donates sports equipment to Hope the Missions newest temporary housing facility for families:

I collected sports equipment for Hope the Mission because sports are so important to me and I can’t imagine people living without it. I told all my friends and family about what they do and then asked them to donate some sports equipment. After all the donation me and my mom drove over to their headquarters and dropped off the equipment, as well as a touring the facility.

Do you have a tikkun olam project you’d like featured? Let us know by emailing Rabbi Ron Stern.

Tali Kann’s Bat Mitzvah Project:

In the summer of 2022, Wise bat mitzvah student Tali Kann traveled to Krakow, Poland to volunteer helping Ukrainian refugees as part of her tikkun olam bat mitzvah project. Tali, along with her father and sister, volunteered at the Jewish Community Center of Krakow and for Szafa Dobra, the Polish equivalent of Goodwill. She filmed her experiences and used the video to raise funds and awareness through a GoFundMe page.

Do you have a tikkun olam project you’d like featured? Let us know by emailing Rabbi Ron Stern.

Abbey Weinstein’s Bat Mitzvah project:

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work with the Saban Community Clinic. This organization is the largest provider of free and low-cost medical, dental and mental health care to underserved members of our Los Angeles Community. For my Mitzvah Project, I collected donations and products to assemble “Saban Kid Kits” for the Clinic’s new Family Health Center, which focuses on providing critical services for children in need. When kids visit the clinic for pediatric care, they receive these kits which include many essential items for a healthy lifestyle. My Mitzvah Project goal was to make 100 kits, but with the generous contributions of my friends and family, I was able to make 200 kits!

Noah Fakheri, Donny Sipes, and Micah Melamed are committed to Bet Issie Shapiro. For their B’nai Mitzvah, they created a program to raise money and awareness for the organization which is a special needs organization in Israel. Their video, linked below along with the flyer represented here educate people about the event and the organization.

January 2021: Bruno Wolf

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wise students have learned to continue their tikkun olam work in creative, virtual ways.

Bruno writes: “Through my mitzvah project, I’ve learned about L’dor v’dor – from generation to generation. At Milken Community School, I have been participating in an important program that brings Holocaust survivors to our school and share their experiences from the prison camps. All of this wisdom is shared while we bake challah together—therefore, the program is called “L’Dough V’Dough.” Hearing the stories of what these brave Jews endured has sometimes been very tough to hear, but it’s made me even more committed to fighting antisemitism in my life. I now truly understand the phrase “never again.”

When the pandemic forced the students to stay home, the program resumed via Zoom. “Zooming from home once a month allowed Bruno and I to share this amazing experience together,” says Lori Wolf, “and I am always so moved that after each visit he shares the stories of the guest speakers to anyone who will listen.”

December 2019: Julian Pas

“I decided to help raise money for Israel Sport Center for the Disabled,” writes Julian. “ISCD is a non profit organization that helps athletes and non-athletes with disabilities have a place to play sports. I met the Los Angeles coordinator of this wonderful organization and went to a meeting to learn what they do. I was thrilled to find out that Wise was hosting ISCD for an exhibition basketball game on November 17 for a fundraising event. There were a few ISCD members who attended to help spread the word about this wonderful organization. It was interesting to learn the difference between a regular wheelchair and a sports one. The players talked about themselves and their background as well. It was hard to hear their stories without getting emotional. They were inspirational! They had been through so much. One visitor said something that really stuck with me. He said everyone has disabilities in certain situations. They let us try out the wheelchairs to see just how much strength was needed to maneuver them. It was great to be a part of this event and see where the money I raised for my Bar Mitzvah was going. There is nothing like it here in the United States! ISCD needs money to buy top notch sports equipment for anyone who wants to play basketball, soccer, tennis, rugby, and swim. You can help them buy some of this specialized equipment so athletes at the center can enjoy the many positive aspects of sports and physical activity. Visit their web site to learn more.

September 2019: Eliana Svilik

“For my tikkun olam project I participated in the remote reading program of Wise Readers to Leaders, writes Eliana. “This program matches older kids with kids in younger grades to improve their reading skills. During this past year, I spent 30 minutes every Tuesday reading with a 2nd grader named Elizabeth. I helped Elizabeth learn to read better. Each Tuesday, we would progress farther into Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Elizabeth and I both saw the improvement in her reading as the year progressed. It was an extremely rewarding way to do a mitzvah.”

January 2019: Aiden Weinstein

This month, we asked Aiden Weinstein to tell us all about his work with ETTA, including a movie night that he planned with help from some of his friends.The staff from Etta Israel tells us that the program was so successful that Aiden and his friends are working on planning another event! Visit our Center for Tikkun Olam B’nai Mitzvah Project Gallery to read more profiles of our B’nai Mitzvah students who make great happen through works of tikkun olam.

Aiden writes: ETTA is something truly amazing. You won’t find a program that puts so much effort into helping others anywhere else. ETTA is a Jewish organization that helps adults with special needs get support, have fun, and bond with others. I have had a great experience helping out and have made many memories. On November 11, my friends and I hosted a movie night to raise money for the clients. We raised over $200 and the money will be used to provide services for them. It was a very special night because the clients were really enjoying themselves and it felt very meaningful to support them. I will continue to do what I can for ETTA and participate in events that help these adults. For more information you can visit ETTA.org and maybe you’ll volunteer with me sometime too!

December 2018: Teddy Gillman

Teddy Gillman became a Bar Mitzvah in February 2018. For his mitzvah project, Teddy chose to focus on nature preservation and spent many hours volunteering for the Mountain Restoration Trust, planting native trees and bushes and removing invasive crayfish from the creeks of Malibu. MRT has volunteer events every weekend (learn more on their web site). In lieu of gifts, Teddy requested that friends and family donate to MRT so that he could make a greater impact. He raised over $3,000 for the non-profit.

September 2018: Raisa Effress

Every Saturday Raisa Effress (Wise School ’17) and her brother Abe (Wise School ’19) meet with students assigned to them by School on Wheels, an organization that matches homeless children to tutors in their geographic area. Raisa learned of School on Wheels when researching ways that she could make a lasting difference in a child’s life. At the time, sisters Nailise and Nailah were in the second and third grades. Nailah told Raisa she wants to be a doctor and her sister wants to be a teacher. The assignment was to catch them up to grade level in reading and math. When they first met, the sisters were temporarily staying at an emergency shelter in South Central, Los Angeles, and Abe and Raisa would meet them there. When students are homeless they may move from school district to school district any number of times within a school year, and among other challenges, they experience inconsistency in learning. At a very young age they can quickly fall so far behind that it is difficult to keep up with peers. There’s a snowball effect which greatly thwarts that student’s opportunities to graduate from school and find employment as an adult. By tutoring Nailise and Nailah regularly, Ave and Raisa are having a huge impact on their ability to catch up with their peers, providing consistency to their learning experience.

August 2018: Francesca Tyberg

The Jewish people as a whole have had a long history of loss and separation regarding their loved ones. We all have a responsibility to bring change, repair the world, and make sure history does not repeat itself in this kind of situation for any person. One of the biggest changes that would definitely help change the world I’d like to see is around immigration policies. Recently, around 2,500 children were separated from their parents. An Executive Order has been signed, stating that the immigration officers will stop separating families, but many children have not yet been reunited with their parents. When I heard that a collection was being done and would be taken directly to the border, I wanted to help. I collected comfort items such as stuffed animals, lovies, blankets, toys and toiletries for my mitzvah project that were donated to these kids in need. Can any of us imagine being separated from our parents and not knowing when we would be able to see them again? I can’t. In this small way we were able to bring a little comfort to these children.

July 2018: Aiden Sall

“For my Mitzvah Project I dedicated time to the Gentle Barn which is located in Valencia. The Gentle Barn is a refuge for abused animals and the goal is to break the cycle of abuse for both animals and people. I chose the Gentle Barn because the animals rescued there are near death, mostly due to very abusive owners. I spend my time at the Barn grooming the animals and supplying them with care packages. Through time, care, and most importantly, affection, these animals are healed, and in return, the animals help abused kids by giving them love. Please feel free to contact me if you have any interest in spending time at the Gentle Barn!”

June 2018: Alyssa and Kate Stutman

One of the ways our Jewish faith teaches us to honor the memory of a loved one lost, is to commit to the act of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, while instilling the same notion in the next generation. And that is exactly what Alyssa and Kate did when they came up with their B’nai Mitzvah Project – Project Imagine. Project Imagine was started to honor the memory of their aunt, Cindy Harris, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 40. The girls collaborated with Little Words Project to design an exclusive collection of accessories that were sold to raise funds supporting Tower Cancer Research Foundation & Cancer Free Generation. By combining a desire to support cancer research with their collective creative talents and connection to Judaism, they honored their aunt and her family which includes two young daughters. “Our Tikkun Olam project was meaningful to us as Jewish teenagers because it was our first opportunity to personally become involved with the greater community and give back to a cause that is close to our hearts and family,” said Alyssa and Kate. The girls spent seven months setting up booths at community events, holiday boutiques, and local stores. The goal? To finally imagine a world with a cure for cancer. They indeed made an impact – selling nearly 800 pieces and raising more than $3,000 overall!

May 2018: Lily Turndorf

When her GaGa was in a hospital in Texas 7 years ago, the Jewish Federation delivered a “Shabbat Box” to his hospital room. Lily Turndorf knew this was something special because “it brought our family some Jewish love and peace at a difficult time” as her grandfather was dying. Several years later, while balancing school work, participating in her school musical, a busy competitive gymnastics schedule and getting ready for her Bat Mitzvah, in memory of her grandfather, Lily created a Tikkun Olam Project out of the experience and has been putting together her own “Shabbat Boxes” for our Wise community via our caring connection, Wise Hearts. The boxes contain a beautifully decorated challah cover by Lily herself, a challah roll, 2 LED Shabbat candles, grape juice, a Kiddush cup, mints and the Shabbat prayers. Wise Clergy and volunteers from the Wise Hearts committee members deliver boxes when they visit Wise members who are in the hospital for extended periods of time. Lily’s hope is that her project becomes an ongoing project that future Bnai Mitzvah students will take on for their own Tikkun Olam project and asks that donations be made to Wise Hearts to keep it going. When asked how this project helps Lily identify with her Jewish identity, she says “Shabbat is about peace and reflecting on the week. It is my goal to provide others who may be in the hospital an opportunity to celebrate the holiday and to have some peace.”