Mountains, Mitzvahs, and Meaning on A Weekend
to Remember.

Jeremy Leigh With Livi Leigh
United Kingdom

My father has always told me there are three types of people in this world; People that make it happen, people that watch it happen, and people who wonder what
has happened.

In late 2015, in the lady’s section of Mill Hill Synagogue, two women sat together and made something truly great happen. I very much doubt at the time they realised just how amazing and monumental their idea would become. Or indeed just how many remarkable other things would stem from it. But they made it happen and I, and about 500 other Jewish teens and parents, are extremely grateful that they did.

Natalie Gubbay-Jackson & Sarah Sultman, together with husbands Matthew Jackson and Richard Sultman, wanted children coming up to bar or bat mitzvah age, to connect with, and appreciate at this very special moment in their lives, their Judaism, by experiencing a traditional Shabbat.

It opened our eyes to our Jewish values and gave us a real sense of connection to our Homeland Israel.

The idea was to take them away, with one parent, for a Shabbat weekend programme. However, this wasn’t enough for them. They also felt it was important for the children to use their coming of age as an opportunity to push themselves and give something back to the community. So, they decided to include a challenge for the children to conquer, while raising money for a charity the children chose and felt was important to them. And so, in 2016, The Bnei Mitzvah Charity Challenge (BMCC) was born, and a group of 50 children and parents set off to climb some of the largest mountains in England.

And this is why the link with Israel Bonds is such a perfect fit. For many of the children and parents this is the first time they have truly embraced Shabbat and their Judaism. It opened our eyes to our Jewish values and gave us a real sense of connection to our Homeland Israel. We truly appreciated why Israel is so important for us, especially in these challenging times.

I have been fortunate enough to attend the BMCC twice and both times was lucky enough to hear from Orit Usharovsky who spoke so passionately and enthusiastically about Israel and Israel Bonds. Orit however does not just tell the children and parents how they can invest in the bonds, she has also arranged for a generous donor to gift each of the teens an Israel Bond for them to have for themselves. I feel this is such an important and beautiful detail as it gives the children, at this important crossroads in their lives, the opportunity to support Israel. I saw in the kids that this gesture really does cement even more their link to their homeland, while also helping to contribute to our homeland’s future. This is another, very special way to give back to community. For her charity my daughter decided to raise for Hostages & Missing Families Forum to bring the hostages home. She says she chose this because many of our family and friends live in Israel and she wants to do this for them, to keep them safe and so she can also visit her homeland without feeling scared.

And so, at far too early o’clock on the morning of Friday 5^th July, 90 parents and bar and bat mitzvah teens set off for Ambleside Hawkshead in the UK’s Lake District armed with climbing boots, waterproof clothing, blister bandages and about 450 bagels! The aim was to climb two mountains including Blencathra, which would total approximately 1,400m.

What happened over the weekend can only be described as a well-oiled machine led by not only the BMCC founders, but an amazing group of experienced helpers who could not have been more caring, patient, and enthusiastic with us. 

Something magical happens when you overcome a challenge like this. The experience left us all with a very real and wonderful sense that we had achieved something truly colossal.

With the trip taking place over Shabbat, everyone was very respectful of the differing levels of observance, but I did notice most parents and kids observed slightly more than they would normally do.

The treks themselves were certainly no walk in the park, with steep hills to climb and lots of scrambling - which I now know to mean ‘the action of a climbing over rough or steep terrain using one's hands.’ We were defiantly NOT in our comfort zone, with many of us pushed right to the very edge of our limits.

However, something magical happens when you overcome a challenge like this. The experience left us all with a very real and wonderful sense that we had achieved something truly colossal. And while many of us may never hike again, we will all mention for many years to come the fact that we once did, and that it was awesome! The children raised over £70,000 for their charities, which were unsurprisingly mainly Israel based causes this year, bringing the total raised since 2016 to just over £400,000!

I cannot say thank you enough to the whole BMCC team and Israel Bonds for making this happen. I feel that Sarah, Natalie, Matthew & Richard have not only achieved what they set out to do but smashed it. They have given the kids a true shabbat experience, they have made them think about a cause close to their hearts, probably for the first time, they have brought together Jewish teens to play, laugh, and bond together which not what all Jewish children get to do regularly, and of course they have helped raise over £400,000 for many worthwhile causes.
This I feel, is truly remarkable.

I will look back on this weekend that was arranged to perfection, with food and drink in abundance, and an inspiring and patient team to guide us. Together with the achievement of raising a combined £70,000 for the charities chosen by the kids. But that won’t be what I remember most about the experience. I will remember the community prayers, the laughter, the bonding, and the spectacular views. But mostly the Bnei Mitzvah weekend allowed me to bond with my daughter in a way I’ve never really managed before, and for that I cannot thank them all enough.

May this Project continue to grow from strength to strength, עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי