My name is Avital Schwartz, I’m 19 years old and I live in Ra’anana. My family and I have been members of “Hod Ve’Hadar” for many years. Susie helped me prepare for my bat mitzvah in 2007 (parashat shemot), and it was a fun and meaningful experience for me. She taught me how to lead Friday night services and how to read my haftara and Torah portion. Since my bat mitzvah, I’ve lead Friday night services and read from the Torah many times. I love participating in the service because I love to sing and also because I feel it brings me closer to Judaism. I took Susie’s course (along with other girls) on how to teach and prepare children for their bar\bat mitzvahs and since then have taught my siblings and prepared others as well. Teaching is very rewarding for me, an amazing experience because I feel I can pass on the traditions I’ve learned from Susie and from growing up in “Hod Ve’Hadar”.
