Libby's Batmitzvah

Hi, I’m Libby and on December 10th 2022, I will become Batmitzvah. Batmitzvah means ‘daughter of the law’ and in Judaism, this is when a girl becomes a young woman. As part of my Batmitzvah, I wanted to mark this transition and set myself a challenge. I know that learning everything for my Batmiztvah service will be difficult, but in true Barnett style (or at least my dad), there had to be a physical side to it as well!

From the 1st-3rd of July, my mum and I will be joining the B’nei Miztvah Charity Challenge. This is a 2-day hike in the Lake District where we will be climbing over 5,500 feet! For two people with little legs like ours, this will probably feel much longer!

As soon as I knew I was taking on this challenge, I wanted to make sure that some extra good came out of it.

Instantly, my Auntie Jen Jen (one of my mum’s best friends) came to mind. Jennifer may not have been my actual auntie, but she was always like one to me and my sister Eva. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer back in 2010. After years of treatment, including reconstruction, it seemed like the outlook was promising. Sadly in 2018, a regular appointment revealed that they had found cancer cells yet again and unfortunately, they had spread to her lungs and bones, and she had received the devastating diagnosis of stage 4, metastatic, secondary breast cancer. After a long, difficult, emotional and admirable fight, she sadly passed away in September 2021, just short of her 43rd birthday.

Whenever I think of my Auntie Jen Jen, I remember that she always had a big smile on her face and happiness seemed to follow her everywhere- she also made the best cupcakes! She was so incredibly brave and never showed us her suffering. Her courage, perseverance and selfless nature are things I will take forward, as well as her passion to help others. I have therefore chosen to give half of the funds raised to support Breast Cancer Now, a charity extremely close to Jennifer’s heart.

I’m also extremely proud of my Jewish heritage and know how lucky I am to live the life I do and be able to celebrate my Batmitzvah with freedom and choice. There are many children my age around the world who are not so fortunate. Jewish Child’s Day is the leading UK Jewish grant-giving charity. Every year they help thousands of disadvantaged Jewish children in a number of ways. Through Jewish Child's Day, I have chosen to support Orr Shalom, a charity which rescues and cares for abused and neglected children. They provide safe, loving homes and psychological and educational support to enable the children to overcome their pasts and develop into independent young adults.

I'm delighted to have been twinned with a girl of my age at Orr Shalom. Anna joined one of Orr Shalom's Family Group Homes in southern Israel at the beginning of 2022, along with her brother. She was previously in a boarding school since her parents couldn't raise her and attend to her needs. She fit in immediately.

Anna is a very cheerful, positive young girl. She makes friends easily and feels very comfortable in her new school and new home, where everyone loves her and enjoys playing with her. She is not at all shy and makes friends easily. She listens to pop music, (Israeli and international), and likes dancing to it (sounds familiar!). She is also very creative and likes drawing and painting, and always volunteers to help with cooking and baking. The money we give to Orr Shalom will be used to purchase clothing and cover celebration costs such as catering services and for Anna’s Bat mitzvah.

I hope that our support can go some way to giving children like Anna the future that so many of us take for granted.

I would be so grateful for any support you are able to give which would help these two amazing charities in the incredible work they do.

Thank you so much.

Libby xx