I had so much fun at the challah bake this Sunday! What an amazing way to get excited for the mother/daughter bat mitzvah Israel trip in November! Rebbetzin Michal Zahtz, who is leading the trip, talked about some of the amazing places we are going to, like Pat B’melech and Yad Leah in Beitar. I’m also super excited for the rock climbing with Tikvot, an organization that supports injured IDF soldiers, as well as spending Shabbat in the Emunah children’s home in Afula. We will be the first visitors to ever spend Shabbat at the Afula children’s home!

After talking about the trip, we got down to challah baking! We braided the challah using a method called the tic-tac-toe-board method. Then, we took the ends of the challah and put them under the challah. We made sure to make the bracha on the small, holy piece of challah that we would have to burn. We also wrote on index cards what we wanted for ourselves and what we wanted for others. Rebbetzin Zahtz gave us paper clips so we could attach them to our machzors on Yom Kippur. She then told us an inspiring story.

Rebbetzin Zahtz is also planning a trip for us to go to Yad Leah in Passaic before we leave for Israel. What makes this trip really special are the opportunities for connecting and bonding with everyone. I’m also collecting new baby items for Yad Leah and I’m excited to see firsthand how the efforts of my bat mitzvah project will help new mothers in Israel.  

I can’t wait to go to Israel with all the moms and daughters on this trip! It’s going to be so much fun!

We still have a few spots left on the trip. Join us for the experience of a lifetime! Visit https://www.emunah.org/teaneck-bat-mitzvah-mission/.

By Eliana Fisher

Eliana Fisher lives in Teaneck and is a rising sixth grader at Yavneh Academy. She loves basketball, dancing and playing her guitar.