The Bar and Bat Mitzvah twinning experience is a unique opportunity designed to carry on the tradition of uniting Jews around the world. American B'nai and B'not Mitzvah are paired with their peers in the former Soviet Union (FSU). Information about background, interests and family is exchanged in letters sent to your "twin." Students in the FSU often have access to computers for e-mail at their Jewish Day Schools or sometimes at home.
Let our office know you are interested in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah twinning and we will send you a form to fill out. When you send the form back to our office, we will assign a twin. We’re here to answer any questions you may have.
Through Bar or Bat Mitzvah twinning, you strengthen a vital connection that often begins a lasting relationship. Many youngsters who have been "twinned" have kept in touch with their family from the FSU even after that family has emigrated. Such contacts can often help the family adjust to a new life in the West.
We encourage Bar and Bat Mitzvah twins to send a financial donation to Action for Post-Soviet Jewry, to help us continue our work.
Some of our Bar and Bat Mitzvah twins also collect items for the Jewish Day School in Ukraine, like shoes (in very good condition), warm sweaters, coats, scarves, gloves and mittens, and school supplies (such as paper, notebooks, markers, pens, pencils, crayons, glue, stickers and paint). The Jewish Day Schools tell us that they need shoes for their students because new shoes are very expensive. This is a wonderful way to involve friends and guests who celebrate with you to participate in this mitzvah. The items are sent to our office for re-packing and shipment to the Jewish Day Schools. We let the school know that they came from your mitzvah!
One student had her young guests bring new hats, mittens, gloves and scarves to her reception.
The following shows examples of how Bar and Bat Mitzvah twins here collected items for Jewish Day Schools in Ukraine
Students at a Jewish Day School in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, happily receive school supplies. So many school supplies were collected, that we shipped boxes to three different Jewish Day Schools in Ukraine.
A Bat Mitzvah twin prepared this flyer for her school mates. In a short time, she collected over a hundred pair of shoes!
She called her flyer
SOLES for SOULS
