Boys and Fathers Prep for Bar Mitzvah with Chesed at Met Council

As part of the KJ/Ramaz Bar Mitzvah Program, sixth-grade boys and their fathers participated in a day of learning and service at Met Council. The event was organized and led by Rabbi Meyer Laniado, who framed the experience through Torah learning and guided students in thinking carefully about what it means to help others in a way that acknowledges the whole person. They focused on understanding that tzedakah is not only about meeting basic needs, but about giving in a way that preserves human dignity.

Students and fathers packed 100 emergency relief food boxes for families across NYC, and assembled 600 winter warming kits (containing hats, gloves, hand warmers, and other cold-weather essentials) to be distributed throughout the five boroughs. The warming kits also included small non-essential items like tea and coffee. The non-essential additions honored the importance of helping beyond bare minimum requirements, and the importance of ensuring not just survival but quality of life. Students went further by writing notes that they packed alongside the donations, which made their tzedakah even more special and personal.

The volunteers bonded in person with low-income seniors in MET Council housing over breakfast. This final element was central to the educational goal of the day: to show that dignity is preserved not only through material goods but through human connection. After the program, Met Council reached out to thank Ramaz and share that it had received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the seniors about the breakfast program. Ramaz is so proud of our volunteers for helping provide such a positive experience for the residents!

This chesed event reflects the broader philosophy of the KJ/Ramaz Bar Mitzvah Program. A Bar Mitzvah marks the moment when a young person becomes personally responsible for mitzvot. The program emphasizes that Jewish responsibility is not something that begins and ends at the ceremony, but something meant to inform how Jews move through the world for the rest of their lives.