For a Jewish girl, becoming a Bat Mitzvah is a meaningful occasion. Tamar Benus, of Brooklyn, New York, recognized the significance of this milestone, at which a young girl assumes adult responsibility. Tami sought ways to help others. At her own initiative, Tami organized a read-a-thon, recruiting sponsors pledging amounts per page. She collected $2,200 through intense page turning - and all from reading books not required for school.
While in Jerusalem on her Bat Mitzvah Israel trip, Tami, her family & friends visited Yad Sarah, her choice for donating her earnings. At an intimate ceremony in Tami’s honor, Yad Sarah’s Daniel Sheer noted how fitting it was that Yad Sarah and Tami were linked through her goal. Like Yad Sarah, Tami volunteered and recruited others on her mission. Tami’s decision to read also resonated, since Yad Sarah’s Enrichment Center and toy Library for Children with Special Needs lends out books and assists children with reading comprehension difficulties.
Two educators from Tami’s school, the Flatbush Yeshiva Day School, attended the ceremony. Tami’s first grade teacher, Mrs. Elaine Steiglitz, undoubtedly played a role in Tami’s passion for reading. And Tami’s assistant principal, Mrs. Toba Goldberg, surely influenced Tami and her schoolmates to perform such acts of Tzedakah. The visit culminated in another act of Chesed- assembling equipment for loan to those in need.
For further information about Bnai Mitzvah projects with Yad Sarah, please contact Adele Goldberg at Yad Sarah’s American Friends office: (866) YAD-SARAH, or yadsarahny@earthlink.net