On May 14th we celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Alexander Joseph Christian or as everyone calls him– Xander! Postponed from 2021, we are so excited to finally have this special day. Xander is an 8th grader at Booker T Washington Middle School and will be attending The High School of American Studies at Lehman College next year. Xander started Hebrew School in Kitah Gimmel. The friendships he made in that first class are still going strong! His Hebrew School friends are a special piece of Xander’s community. Xander’s Mitzvah project was volunteering at the Hebrew School this year as an assistant teacher. While sharing the knowledge he himself had gained at Hebrew School he was also able to help younger students create their own friendships that can last a lifetime. This May, Xander will be traveling with the Jewish/ Lantinx Youth Council to Miami, Florida. This group of young activists will be volunteering and participating in programming designed to build stronger bonds between these two communities. Xander is also a dedicated member of his school’s Model UN club. We wish luck as he presents this Friday at their convention taking place at The United Nations headquarters. Xander is a loving older brother to Maddy. We are so proud of the kind and vibrant boy that he is and the incredible human he is becoming!