Ladies Bat Mitzvah - Sunday, July 5, 2009
Directed by: Rabbi Schachar Orenstein
Coordinated by: Gladys Mooallem
Ladies Bat Mitzvah Invitation
Designed by: Margaret Mankin
Watch Bat Miztvah Highlight Video HERE
Recorded by: Dr. Ronit Mooallem
Edited by: Jeff Mooallem, MBA
Gladys’s Welcome Address at the Ladies Bat Mitzvah Celebration
Hello Everybody!
I would like to welcome our honourable Rabbis, our instructors, our families, our children, our grandchildren and our friends.
Through the endless efforts, creativity and imagination of our Rabbi Schachar Orenstein, our first Adult Bat-Mitzvah program was created successfully in our Synagogue. To his surprise and delight, he found himself at the first session, surrounded by 25 women of our friends eager to study the Torah, some of us for the first time.
Through the program, our lectures were given by our most knowledgeable and fascinating Rabbis, to whom we are very grateful. When Dr. Howard Joseph speaks, the group listens and never let him stop. With Dr. Norma Joseph, the group considers her a high example. She enhances our self-esteem and we enjoy all the information she gives us. We learned a lot of the Torah from Dr.Rabbi Menachem White who tried to know us closely and exchange information with us, which we appreciate a lot. Rabbi Cantor Abittan taught us as usual about the holidays and taught us holiday songs. Rabbi Orenstein taught us various things according to our wishes. We thank you all for awakening in us the desire to explore the beauty of the culture of our Jewish heritage of which we became so proud.
Besides the Torah, we had Hebrew lessons, we danced, we sang, we had lunches and we socialized. Many thanks to our dedicated Hebrew instructors, Rabbi Schachar Orenstein and Orlit Cohen for teaching some of us Hebrew reading and conversation. Special thanks to our dance teachers: Maurice Peretz for Israeli folk dance, Meira Orenstein for Jewish creative movement, Rivi Levkowitz for Simha dancing and Sandra Benjamin for Middle Eastern dancing. Thanks to you, our courses were mingled with happiness and laughter.
Our course led us to the Women Rosh Hodesh Program in our Synagogue in collaboration with Shaar Hashomayim, created by our beloved Dr. Norma Joseph about 25 years ago. We were thrilled to experience ourselves the Aliyah La-Torah. Between our two courses Rabbi Orenstein encouraged us to enroll in Concordia University and attend lectures with Dr. Norma Joseph on "Woman in Judaism". It was the best way to enjoy the three months of winter.
To Rabbi Orenstein, I would like to thank you for giving me the privilege to assist you. No school could teach me what I learned from you. There is nothing impossible for you and nothing too hard. My demands for the group were endless and you complied with all of them. Your capacity, energy and desire to give us the best of everything enhanced our self-esteem and confidence. You made us feel real Banot Mitzvah. We thank you so much for exposing us to such an inspiring program.
I would like to thank my dear Banot Mitzvah friends for trusting me to coordinate the program. Your wonderful ideas were a great help to us all. When you did not like my idea, you poured me with yours, when I was not happy, you restored my confidence. We all worked as a team in the most enjoyable manner.
I would like to address our children and grandchildren. You have been working all your lives to please us and make us proud of you. Today, we showed you how hard we worked to make you proud of us. We love you all and we wish best of health to everybody to continue to enjoy the beauty of learning.
Gladys Mooallem
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Created by: Sandra Koukou