Elevating Charity by Scaling New Heights

Jodie Cooper
United Kingdom

A few weekends ago, my mum and I joined 42 other Bnei Mitzvah kids and their parents on a fundraising hike in the Lake District. On Friday, we hiked up a mountain called Seat Sandal, a 4-hour exhilarating climb, although at points it was quite steep. On Sunday, we hiked up a taller mountain called Blencathra. The 6-hour trek was tough and tiring with some precarious ridge-edge climbs, but when we got to the top, it was the best feeling in the world. It was even nicer knowing that by completing this challenge, I had also raised money for my chosen charity.

On Friday night, after davening (prayers), we stood in a circle, and each of us spoke about the charity we had chosen to fundraise for and why. I chose to raise money for Jewish Women’s Aid because I look up to the women in the Jewish community; the Jewish women I know are loving and kind, and it makes me sad to think that there are women like this who are suffering in their own homes. Many of my friends chose charities in Israel, which illustrates how close Israel is to everyone’s hearts, especially in recent months. In total, our group raised over £70,000 for our charities.

This was really meaningful as Israel is so important to all of us.

Although there were no mountain climbs, Shabbat was also a special day. I felt a huge sense of community and togetherness, and it didn’t hurt that England got through to the semi-finals that day too. We had an inspiring talk from one of our guides, a professional mountaineer who captured everyone’s attention with his life-and-death adventure stories. We also had a talk from Orit, a representative from Israel Bonds, which sponsored the weekend. Orit explained what Israel Bonds does and how it helps Israel. I had not heard of Israel Bonds before and was intrigued to learn about bonds in general and this clever concept, which can also help Israel grow. Orit then told us that two clients had generously bought each of us a £36 bond – representing two times 18, which is the numerical value for the Hebrew word ‘chai’ (life). This was really meaningful as Israel is so important to all of us.

My Bat Mitzvah is in a couple of months, and I hope that as I grow into adulthood, I will see Israel thrive alongside me and be part of her story.