Chaia, nee Judy Kaplan, steps up to the bima, at age 12:

Because my Bat Mitzvah coincides with Chanukkah, I feel it is important to discuss this holiday. As the story of Chanukkah goes, the Syrians tried to weaken Judaism. The Syrians did not want the Jews to listen to their God. They wanted loyalty to Antiochus, the Syrian king. They were afraid Antiochus would lose his control over the Jews. So, instead of trying to convert the Jews, the began mixing Syrian customs from the Greek religion with Judaism. They hoped the Jews would become more loyal to Antiochus than to God.

Just as in the time of the Maccabees, to today Judaism continues to be weakened. Surprisingly enough, the people who are weakening Judaism are we Jews, ourselves. We tend to lessen the importance of all our original customs and practices. Many holidays are unknown to a great many of us today. Commandments of God are not followed as closely as they have been in the past. For instance, take Chanukkah. Many people today decide that since Chanukkah and Christmas fall at the same time, they will celebrate both holidays at once. So, they light a Menorah and put up a Christmas tree. Chanukkah should not be put in competition with anything else. It has its own message, and when mixed with Christmas, this message is completely contradicted.

Something that has suffered greatly in its observance is Shabbat. I don't thin that in order to be a "good Jew," you have to observe Shabbat exactly as it is commanded in the Bible. But, I do think that Shabbat is a special day, and it should in some way be set aside from the rest of the week. How this is done is up to the individual. I hope that by using my training to become a Bat Mitzvah, I will be able to strengthen my own beliefs, and make Judaism a more meaningful part of my life. At this time I would like to thank my parents, my brothers, and my sister for helping me to prepare for this day.I would especially like to thank Rabbi Kroloff, Cantor Deaker, and all my teachers, for without their aid, this day would never have been made possible.

Thank you very much.

If you need help preparing for your bat mitzva, or just want to exchange a good word, write me at .

Shalom.
Chaia

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