Hi, everyone! My name is Alexandra Kukoff. I’m 13 years old and will be celebrating my bat mitzvah this Shabbat! For my bat mitzvah project, I have been collecting bar and bat mitzvah stories for a book I’m writing called “A Jewish Girl’s Guide to a Bat Mitzvah Project.” I interview girls and women who have become bat mitzvah, from long ago to just recently. They tell me all about their mitzvah- or charity-related projects and I hope to include those projects and their accompanying stories in my book. Every month this year, I will blog on Babaganewz about a mitzvah project that I’ve collected.

The first story I will share with you is about a girl named Dena. A lifelong animal lover, Dena told me all about how she chose to help out an animal shelter for her mitzvah project. She and her grandmother found out about the shelter on a trip they took together, and at Dena’s bat mitzvah, she asked for her guests to donate money to the shelter instead of giving her a gift. In addition, Dena started a website called “Paws for Thought” that sells pictures of stray animals that Dena took herself. All the proceeds made from Paws for Thought were donated to the animal shelter, too.

Here is an excerpt from my interview with Dena:

“...I first started forming the idea of my bat mitzvah project on a Hebrew School trip to Israel before my bat mitzvah. Touring the country, I saw the terrible stray cat problem Israel has and I knew I wanted to help stray animals. I started my project with a trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah as my choice for a bat mitzvah gift from my Grandma, who had graciously offered me a trip anywhere.

“At Best Friends, Grandma and I volunteered for a week walking dogs and cleaning their areas. I asked guests at my bat mitzvah for donations to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary instead of gifts, and I managed to raise $9,000 for the animal shelter. I also managed to snap a few photos of the animals at the sanctuary. These became online products on my website, “Paws for Thought.” This online store, with pictures of stray cats and happy animals at Best Friends, became a sort of before-and-after, showing what people like us can make happen for animals in need. All profit I make from Paws for Thought will continue to help Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and their efforts.”

Thanks, Dena.

If you have a mitzvah project you'd like to share, e-mail me here, and I may feature your project in my Babaganewz blog and in my book!