We are proud to highlight some of the Mitzvah Projects that our 2009-2010 B'nai Mitzvah class are involved in.

For my Bar Mitzvah project, my lifelong friend (Spencer Hamersmith) and I have created a not-for-profit charity organization called “H2Olam”.   This organization is inspired by a love of the ocean, and water sports.  H2Olam strives to clean up the beaches, from large debris to the smallest cigarette butts and bottle caps, which kill significant amounts of marine life here in Florida.  Our inaugural mission will deploy a team of 10 H2Olam volunteers on October 18th to reclaim the natural state of a local beach area.  Aside from my love of the water, I also am immersed in music (Rock-n-Roll and Jazz), and I especially love to play my guitar and saxophone.  

For my Bar Mitzvah project, I raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in honor of my grandmother. My team and I also walked in the LLS Light the Night Walk in Coral Gables on October 24th. Some of my interests are basketball, video games and listening to rap.

For my bar mitzvah project I organized a farmers market called the "Mitzvah Market". This reminded me to be thankful for everything I have and to help others less fortunate.  I donated the money I raised to Mazon and Feed The Children, which are both organizations that feed hungry children in Israel and around the world, as well as TreeMendous, an organization, which plants trees locally to help save our environment

The day my parents and I choose my Bat Mitzvah date, Rabbi Goldberg mentioned that the Torah Portion is Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:11-12). How ironic my parents thought.  My Poppy, Sanford Dernis, whom I am named after, was an accomplished artist specializing in metal sculpting.  One of our favorite art works he did is his interpretation of Jacob’s dream.  We thought it only fitting that my Bat Mitzvah center around my Torah Portion and pay tribute to my Poppy, who I never knew, but whom I admire so much for how he lived his live with such compassion and dedication for all he loved.

We contacted David Gerstein, one of Israel’s most famous modern artists, who we met on our Temple Judea trip to Israel three summers ago.  David is a painter and sculptor whose works have been given by Israel’s Foreign Ministry to heads of state around the world (see www.davidgerstein.com). David took a picture of my Poppy’s Jacob’s Ladder and created a sculpture for my Bat Mitzvah center pieces that would reflect my Poppy’s interpretation of Jacob’s dream and incorporate my favorite colors.  David has produced a childlike wonder full of color in a Serigraph (screen print) on cutout steel, 20” x 11’’, in which Jacob sleeps on the bottom and the ladder above him is filled with cheerful angels, some of them playing instruments.  Each table at my Bat Mitzvah will have one of these cheerful sculptures displayed.

As a tribute to my Poppy I am selling 15 of these sculptures with the profits donated to the Women of Temple Judea.  My Poppy was a big advocate of Jewish Education and was an integral part of building Temple Judea’s educational program.  It is only fitting that the profits of the sculptures go to support Education and Youth Programming.

I will deliver the sculpture to you after my Bat Mitzvah with information on David Gerstein and his catalog, in which he has already featured this artwork.  The cost of the sculpture is $195.00.  Please call at (305) 232-2342 or email me at samcr96@gmail.com.