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B'nai Mitzvah Profile -- Jeremy Stepansky

My name is Jeremy Stepansky. I am in seventh grade, attend Renaissance Middle School, and enjoy many activities such as reading, writing, filmmaking, and playing music.

I will become Bar Mitzvah on January 7, 2012 (and B'nai Mitzvah with my sister, Maya). Our B'nai Mitzvah portion is called Vayechi, which closes the Book of Genesis, and is centered around the death of Jacob and his blessings for his sons.  It is a parsha very much about Jacob looking ahead to a time when his descendants will return to Israel to establish their home, and the importance of home is a central theme of my Bar Mitzvah project. Incorporating our love of music, my sister and I are recording a CD using our combined musical talents, and distributing it in exchange for donations to two important organizations that help homeless and displaced people.  The first of these, the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Essex County (IHN), provides emergency housing and services for people in our own local community who have become homeless; the second organization, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), gives aid to homeless and displaced persons in areas all around the world affected by problems such as war and natural disasters . My family has always helped out with the IHN "Helping the Homeless" at Shomrei every August and December, and for that reason, I have met many homeless families who seek its aid. Because of this experience, my Bar Mitzvah project is especially meaningful to me.  

My sister and I would be happy to receive pre-orders for our CD which we will begin sending out in mid-December. The CD includes "Watermelon Man" by Herbie Hancock, a jazz version of "My Favorite Things" by Rodgers & Hammerstein, "Lady Madonna" by the Beatles, "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5, two originals from Maya and myself, and much more. This has been a "living room" project--we play all the instruments used on the CD which was recorded at home (literally in our living room!), and we hope it will lead to more living rooms for others.  To pre-order, email jeremystepansky@comcast.net or mayalaurel@comcast.net and let us know how many copies you would like.  Donation checks can be made out to either (or both) INH and IRC, and can be sent to us at 172 Summit Avenue, Upper Montclair NJ  07043.  We hope you will enjoy our music and thank you so much in advance for helping us help others in need.