When it came time to think of a bar mitzvah project to prepare for his big day, Mendel Szokovski turned to his hobby and passion: basketball.

How could he use basketball to give back to the community? Perhaps he could share it with those who don’t have access to an after-school league, he thought. He turned to his teammates on the Yavneh RedHawks and their coach to join him in his undertaking.

He contacted the Friendship Circle of Bergen County and set up a weekly program, the first of its kind, pairing his Yavneh seventh-grade basketball team with the Friendship Circle participants of the same age range.

Every Sunday morning they meet for a skills and drills class led by Coach Ainsworth, basketball coach for Yavneh’s sixth- and seventh-grade teams. They pair up, one-to-one, to practice skills and play together, connecting, encouraging and cheering for one another.

The six-week program will culminate on February 26 with Mendel’s bar mitzvah party, where the group will come together to celebrate their achievements on and off the court.

To learn more about the amazing work of Friendship Circle and see how you too can get involved, visit https://www.bcfriendship.com today!

By Jewish Link Staff