Mincha Ma’ariv Service (Hybrid)

Our Mincha Ma’ariv service includes the celebration of the B’Mitzvah of Lauren Ganitsky and Andrew Silk.

About Andrew
Dear Temple Beth Elohim Community,
My name is Andrew Silk, and I am a 7th grader at Wellesley Middle School. I love playing ice hockey and soccer and have been playing both since I was 3 years old. I live with my parents, Sharon and Michael, and I am the youngest of three children. My brother Josh is in 11th grade, and my brother Matt is in 10th grade. The three of us are extremely close and love spending time together. We also have a rescue dog named Guiness who is an incredible singer and has enjoyed practicing my Torah portion with me. Some of my best memories with my family are traveling to Hawaii where we have snorkeled with manta rays at night, seen lava at Kilauea, and hiked through craters. The most special part to me is our time together.

I really enjoy helping others, which is something that is really important to me. My family and friends have been there for me throughout my life, and I want to be sure to support others in return. For my bar mitzvah project, I worked with Belmont Sport to help kids with disabilities learn to ice skate, have volunteered with the Special Olympics, and helped build care packages for the elderly in Ukraine. Becoming a bar mitzvah shows me that with hard work and preparation, I can accomplish anything. I have learned how important these values are, and I know that I will continue to help and support others throughout my life.

About Lauren
Hello Temple Beth Elohim. I’m Lauren Ganitsky, an athletic 12 year old girl who enjoys being with friends and family and playing every sport under the sun! My idea of a perfect day starts with soccer, then follows up with more soccer, and ends with guess what: soccer! I have been playing since I could walk and absolutely adore it. I play almost every day of the week, on a school team, town team, and club team called Bolts.

I am one of four kids in my family. I have a younger brother named Drew, a younger sister named Sophie, and an older brother named Eli. I would say I’m the most talkative of my siblings and love to shop anywhere at any time. I just got diagnosed with Celiac disease a few months ago but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying my favorite food: açaí bowls! I am in 6th grade at The Rivers School and enjoy humanities, which is a mix of Social Studies and English. It’s my favorite class because I love to read and write.

As a bat mitzvah, I am now a Jewish adult and become more accountable for my actions and have more responsibility to uphold my beliefs and values. For my service project, I am helping out at the Special Olympics which is an organization that allows kids and adults with mental and physical disabilities to participate in physical activities. This has helped me learn about the challenges others face and it has made me realize how important it is to help people who need it.