On Sunday 4 June an audience of parents and family members attended the graduation of participants of our Bar-Bat Mitzvah Programme 2022-23.
The centrepiece of the event was a lively presentation, in the style of a morning TV show, when two participants interviewed ‘guests’ about their experiences of the programme. This was followed by a short film with highlights of the monthly sessions, interspersed with comments from the young participants. These had been shared from the individual programme journals in which they had reflected in writing after each session, on what they had learnt and how it had affected them.
Next-Gen Project Lead, Dan Jeffries who ran the programme alongside colleague, Fundraiser and Events Planner, Natasha Sarak explained:
“For any charity, long-term sustainability must be at the core of its business strategy. Part and parcel of this for The Fed is our Next-Gen Project, which was set up in 2022 and encourages 16 to 40-year-olds to get involved with The Fed – whether as volunteers, by putting on fundraising events or taking on fundraising challenges, or by signing up as regular donors. Those who ‘turn up for The Fed’ now will potentially become board members, directors, departmental managers, or frontline employees – accepting the baton from the generation who are currently entrusted with the welfare of the most vulnerable people in our community.
The Bar-Batmitsvah programme which was re-launched in person in October last year goes further still by exposing an even younger cohort – children aged 12 and 13 – to the culture of giving to and caring for others, through tzedakah (charity) and chessed (kind deeds) and getting involved in community work.
This immersive programme was developed by Natasha and Dan and runs parallel to the academic school year. As Natasha picks up:
“Pupils from a wide range of local Jewish and secular schools come together on a Sunday afternoon – not just to learn about what social care means and but to experience the importance of The Fed’s work, how it feels to be ‘in need’, how it feels to make life better for other people.
“Our goal is to help set young people up for life to be contributing community ‘doers’ and leaders. But number one for Dan and I was to make sure they had loads of fun every step of the way.”
Dan added, “Around this time in children’s lives, they’re often in the spotlight having a huge fuss made of them and receiving money and presents galore. Our course aims to act as a counterbalance – getting them to look outward and develop empathy towards others, and an awareness of how fortunate they are in comparison to people in the community who lack so much – whether that is company, stability, money, love – and showing them how they have the power, even at such a young age, to change things for the better.”
Rabbi Benji Rickman, Head of Religious Studies at Manchester’s King David High School, whose family was formerly supported by The Fed, was the guest speaker at the event. He praised the alumni: “You’ve learned and experienced so much during this journey. While parts of our community are so privileged – going on holiday several times a year, driving luxury cars… you’ve come to discover that there’s so much need as well in our community.”
He went on to say that “The Fed has taken the Bar and Bat Mitzvah programme concept to a whole new level.
He exhorted them as “young men and young women, now grown up and appreciating the difficulties that people are going through, to never see a Jew as being different – whether they wear black coats and fur hats or live somewhere outside of that community. It doesn’t matter how religious or not another Jew is. We are all a community.”
He encouraged them to emulate Moshe (Moses) who fought for his fellow Jew; to see them as brothers and sisters and to take responsibility for their needs. He ended his address with a blessing for each graduate that:
“You should have eyes to see what other people need and really hear what people are saying, to listen and know when someone says “I’m fine” that they may mean “I’m struggling; feet to run and help; hands to lift people up and support those who are frail or need a helping hand or a hand of friendship.
Finally, he challenged them to, “use your mouth to communicate and encourage your friends and family to play their part in supporting our community.”
Raphi Bloom, The Fed’s Director of Fundraising and Marketing thanked the participants for taking part in the programme and said “Over the last eight months you have been both volunteers and, through you fundraising efforts, donors and I know this has given you a huge appreciation and awareness of the need that exists in our – in your – Manchester community.
Labour MP for Bury South, Christian Wakeford, presented individual certificates and trophies to the 17 participants: Bo Barsky, Liora Bolel, Kacie Breeze, Emily Chapman, Leora Chesner, Louis Harris, Talia Kaye, Matty Rabinowitz, Hadassah Rich, Maytal Roth, Adina Poznanski, Amber Press, Aoife Samuels, Molly Samuels, Ben Sarak, Dassi Tesciuba and Tzvia Tabor
Such has been the positive feedback to the hands-on volunteering opportunities within the programme that we have responded by setting up a new Alpha-Feds teen programme. Beginning this autumn this will fill a gap for year nine and ten pupils and will offer them opportunities to volunteer.
For more information about either programme contact Dan on 0162 772 4800 or email danielle.jeffries@thefed.org.uk