The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah ... and Your Life

by Diane Heiman, Liz Suneby, Sharon Brous (Preface by), Jeffrey K. Salkin (Foreword by)

Overview

Make the world a better place through good deeds—big or small.

"Thank you, really, for devoting your energies to making the world just a little bit better. By doing so, you are saying to yourself, and to others, that this whole Bar/Bat Mitzvah thing is real and important. And, this book will help you figure out great ways to put your own passions, interests, and hobbies to work for mitzvah."
—from the Foreword

Are you searching for a meaningful and fun mitzvah project? This inspiring book is packed with ideas to help you connect something you love to a mitzvah project or tikkun olam initiative that you can be passionate about. It is filled with information, ideas and activities to spark your imagination, as well as a planning guide to get you organized and off to a good start.

Creativity and Compassion
Arts&Crafts • Clothes&Fashion • Computers&Technology • Food&Cooking • Movies&Drama • Reading&Writing

Putting Mitzvot in Motion
Animals • Camp • Fitness • Health • Music&Dance • Sports

Your World, Our World
Environment • Family • Friends, Neighbors&Your Community • Global Community • Israel • Your Jewish Heritage

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580234986
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/12/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	11 - 13 Years

About the Author

Diane Heiman is coauthor of The JGuy's Guide: The GPS for Jewish Teen Guys; The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah … and Your Life; It's a … It's a … It's a Mitzvah (all jewish Lights) and the Children's Choice Award winner See What You Can Be: Explore Careers That Could Be for You.

Diane Heiman is also available to speak on the following topic:

Mitzvah Projects

Liz Suneby is coauthor of The JGuy's Guide: The GPS for Jewish Teen Guys; The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitvah … and Your Life; It's a ... It's a ... It's a Mitzvah (all Jewish Lights) and coauthor of the Children's Choice Award winner See What You Can Be: Explore Careers That Could Be for You!

Liz Suneby is also available to speak on the following topic:

Mitzvah Projects

Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founding rabbi of IKAR (www.ikar-la.org), a spiritual community dedicated to reanimating Jewish life through soulful religious practice that is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice. She has been noted as one of the leading rabbis in the country in Newsweek/Daily Beast and has been listed among the Forward's fifty most influential American Jews numerous times. She serves on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Program, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and Reboot and sits on the board of Rabbis for Human Rights.

Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin is recognized as one of the most thoughtful Jewish writers and teachers of his generation. He has helped people of all ages find spiritual meaning in both the great and small moments in life.

A noted author whose work has appeared in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, and the Congressional Record, Rabbi Salkin is editor of The Modern Men's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Jewish Men on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions; and author of Being God's Partner: How to Find the Hidden Link Between Spirituality and Your Work, with an introduction by Norman Lear; the bestseller Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah; For Kids—Putting God on Your Guest List: How to Claim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah; and Righteous Gentiles in the Hebrew Bible: Ancient Role Models for Sacred Relationships (all Jewish Lights), among other books. 


Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin is available to speak on the following topics:
• Is God on Your Guest List?
• Where Are the Men?
• While You Were Out, God Called
• The Secret War Against Israel (or, Why John Lennon Was Wrong)
• Outside the Red Tent

Table of Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Flexing Your Mitzvah Muscle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
So Many Reasons to Help Others. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Every Act of Kindness Counts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
How This Book Can Help You. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Send Us Your Mitzvah Project Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Mitzvah Project Planning Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii
Mitzvah Project Ideas
Real Kids, Real Mitzvot Stories&Journal Pages
Creativity and Compassion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Arts&Crafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Clothes&Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Computers&Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Food&Cooking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Movies&Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Reading&Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Putting Mitzvot in Motion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Camp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Music&Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Your World, Our World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Friends, Neighbors&Your Community . . . . . . . . . . 133
Global Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Jewish Heritage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Everyday Mitzvot: Eighteen Small Ideas That Are Big . . 177
Authors' Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
"LOL" Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Suggestions for Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Editorial Reviews

"Wow! If you are looking for a way to put the 'mitzvah' in your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, this is the book for you. A fabulous resource for teens, families and synagogues. Highly recommended!"
—Dr. Ron Wolfson, co-president, Synagogue 3000; author, God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth

"A superb resource for young people and parents beginning preparation for B’nai Mitzvah. If you cannot find an idea for a mitzvah project, this book will certainly point you in the right direction."
—Dr. Matthew King, EdD, head of the Rashi School, Dedham, Massachusetts

“An incredible tool for religious schools, youth groups and any family who wishes to make the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year a life-changing experience…. [A] powerful book.”
—Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, senior rabbi, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC

“A treasure-trove of amazing ideas…. Perfect for any B’nai Mitzvah-to-be, and also fantastic for any older children, tweens and teenagers who want to find a way to have a meaningful impact in their local or global community.”
—Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author, Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion

“A wonderful source guide for a new generation of Jewish children and their parents.”
—Cantor Mikhail Manevich, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC

“Full of fun, engaging and valuable activities! Authors Diane Heiman and Liz Suneby do a great service to the Jewish people and our world, making today’s mitzvah projects even more accessible and meaningful for B’nai Mitzvah and beyond.”
—Rabbi Joel Sisenwine, Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley, Massachusetts;
rabbinic chair, Union for Reform Judaism’s Joint Commission on Worship, Music and Religious Living

“Helps make the process of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah relevant and meaningful. A great addition to this important life cycle!”
—Rabbi Jamie Korngold, the Adventure Rabbi; author,
The God Upgrade: Finding Your 21st-Century Spirituality in Judaism’s 5,000-Year-Old Tradition

“Speaks to our children simply and naturally, fanning the flames of their passions and interests and offering creative ideas so that the performance of mitzvot can be woven into their daily lives.”
—Cantor Jodi Sufrin, Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley, Massachusetts

“A must-read for every Bar/Bat Mitzvah student, parents, rabbis and educators…. Brilliantly reminds us that there is no better way to enter Jewish adulthood then to begin to put a vision for a more just and holy world into action.”
—Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, founder/president, Uri L’Tzedek, the Orthodox Social Justice Movement

From the Publisher