Each year,\nseveral Negba youth reach the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Unfortunately, unlike\nmost of their classmates, their families don\u2019t possess the means to mark this\nmilestone at a celebratory event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is for\nthis reason that for some years now Negba has been running its B\u2019nai Mitzvah\nproject, which not only arranges a festive evening for the celebrants, but also\nprepares them for the transition into adolescence. No less than 12 girls\nand 8 boys benefited from this project this year. They come from across Negba\u2019s\nafter-school frameworks, and meet once a week for joint activities on topics\nsuch as: The Passage from Childhood to Adolescence; Responsibility; Setting\nGoals for Personal Development; Giving Gifts to Others; Belonging to the Jewish\npeople, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The B\u2019nai\nMitzvah participants also enjoyed special activities and outings including a\nvisit to a Tallit<\/em> factory, paying visits to sick children at Soroka\nHospital, a tour to the Well of Abraham, and recording a group song in a\nrecording studio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These\nspecial meetings and activities had an additional objective, beyond simply\npersonal growth and having fun; they shaped the formation of a group of\nadolescents from different backgrounds and neighborhoods which will serve as\nthe core of Negba\u2019s Teen Club next year. The activities also sought to\nfurther develop the initiative and creativity of the members, all of whom assumed\nleading roles preparing and running sessions, and even cooking meals for the\ngroup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project\nculminated in a lovely party in honor of all the B\u2019nai Mitzvah, with 200 guests\nincluding the honorees\u2019 families, other Negba children and youth, as well as\ndistinguished guests including Beersheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between\nphoto shoots of each B\u2019nai Mitzvah\u2019s families, Koral*, one of the mothers\npresent, confided to one of Negba\u2019s National Service women about her son,\nDoron: \u00ab\u00a0He hasn\u2019t slept for three days, he is so excited about this\nevening. It\u2019s all he\u2019s been talking about at home!\u00a0\u00bb In\naddition to a traditional meal and dancing, each B\u2019nai Mitzvah spoke during the\nevening sharing how they grew through the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miri, Talia’s\nmother, couldn\u2019t restrain her emotions at the end of the evening. \n\u00ab\u00a0Thank you with all my heart for all that you do for our children. I\ncould never, even in a dream, offer my daughter such an evening. There is\nno place like Negba! \u00ab\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n