B'nai Mitzvah X4
We are thrilled to celebrate the B'nai Mitzvah of FOUR of its youth congregants: Tova Rosenbaum, Coby Earll, Noah Mukherjee, and Leah Bacigalupi. Mazel tov! Please read about these wonderful PJTC members and join them during Shabbat to support their Jewish journey.
Tova Emma Rosenbaum
Tova Emma Rosenbaum, daughter of Shoshana and Richard Rosenbaum, younger sister of Maia, and adopted sister of Cooper, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on August 7th. She is in the 9th grade at Marshall Fundamental School where she loves to participate in Chamber Choir and Dance Production. She has enjoyed competing in Math Field Day competitions for the past four years, Winter Guard and Destination Imagination competitions and playing flute in Marching Band (while virtual!). She is an active member of USY, previously serving at the Jr. USY Co-President and is currently serving as a board member again this year. In her spare time, she loves dancing and singing at all hours of the day, taking selfies with Cooper and hanging out with her friends. While Tova wasn’t able to volunteer outside of the house due to the pandemic, she pivoted and decided to volunteer her time making instructional videos for future B’nai Mitzvah students to assist in their learning of the Friday evening and Saturday morning prayers.
Coby Robert Earll
Coby Robert Earll will be called to the Torah to celebrate his bar mitzvah on August 14. Coby is the son of Ryan and Candice Earll, and younger brother to Micaela. Coby is starting 8th grade at Dana Middle School where he works hard to maintain good grades and loves his elective classes like cooking and industry & tech. He is friendly, loving, and really cares for people and animals. Coby is also an avid gamer who loves to compete with his friends and family. From board games to video games, Coby is always ready to play and have fun.
For his mitzvah project, Coby wanted to do something similar to his sisters’ project from 3 years ago when his family spent several months raising money and working in Hollywood on Sunday afternoons with a program called ‘Food on Foot’ to help the homeless population in Los Angeles. Due to the pandemic he was unable to volunteer directly with the same program, but he decided to help in other ways. With the help of his family Coby raised money to purchase items and make ‘goodie bags’ that will be delivered to the homeless through another program familiar to our local community ‘Friends in Deed’. Helping people in need is something Coby really feels connected to and he is happy to play a small role in helping people’s lives.
Noah Mukherjee
Noah Mukherjee, son of Dori and Matthew Mukherjee, will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on August 21st, 2021. This spring Noah graduated with CJSF honors from Huntington Middle School, where he participated in the WEB mentorship program, wind ensemble and the varsity tennis team. Noah is starting his freshman year at San Marino High School where he will look forward to playing tennis and the clarinet in the marching band. Noah is a big sports fan, cheering for the Michigan Wolverines and the Lakers. He also enjoys traveling, with his favorite destinations being Ojai, Palm Desert and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Noah’s education began at B’nai Simcha preschool, where he first met several of his Kitah Zayin friends. Noah’s friends are a most important part of his life, along with his family, and spirited labrador named Maggie. Noah enjoys attending services regularly with his grandparents, Karen and Clark Linstone, and will be the second generation to have his mitzvah at PJTC. As the oldest sibling, Noah’s younger sister, Anna, and brother, Sam, will be looking up to their big brother when he becomes a Bar Mitzvah. Noah’s entire family is so proud of the sincere dedication he puts into all that he does. Noah, like many of his classmates, rose to the occasion of preparing for a second bar mitzvah when his first was cancelled due to the pandemic. He is so grateful for the opportunity to share this joyous occasion with family and friends.
Leah Bacigalupi
Leah Bacigalupi will be called to the Torah for her Batmitzvah on Aug 28. 2021. Leah is the daughter of Joanna Rawley and Antonio Bacigalupi, and is the big sister of Giana Bacigalupi. In addition to learning Hebrew, Leah attends Blair Middle/High School, where she learns Spanish in the Dual Language Immersion Program.
Leah spends her time reading, listening to music, playing soccer, and marching for social justice. She also has a deep appreciation for nature. For her mitzvah project, Leah assisted the LA Audubon Society by surveying endangered Least Tern birds in Venice, CA. Every weekend, from April thru August (the bird’s nesting period), Leah visited a protected bird enclosure to document the status of endangered birds, cleaning up parts of the beach as she went.
Leah has greatly enjoyed her years at PJTC, so much so she is currently enrolled at Gan Shalom summer camp as a Counselor in Training. She also plans on being a tutor for future PJTC classes, to help them with their Torah learning and Mitzvah duties.
