On November 29, 2014 at Congregation Kol Tikvah, Parkland, FL, Rachel Padnis became a bat mitzvah and Marcus Kallor became a bar mitzvah.

Part of becoming a member of the Jewish community today also means taking on moral responsibilities and helping to repair the world.

“In Jacob’s Shoes” is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide new and gently used shoes, school supplies and athletic equipment to children in need. While volunteering  at “In Jacob’s Shoes”, Rachel and Marcus have helped to clean donated shoes so that children could enjoy a “new” pair of shoes. Rachel and Marcus participated in the Broward County Back-to-School event at the BB&T center in August where over 4,000 children were given an opportunity to get school supplies and a pair of shoes to start the school year. Rachel and Marcus helped to set up, size the children and take them around to “shop” for their shoes. For their b’nai mitzvah, the bima baskets were filled with new shoes, cleaning supplies and backpacks for children in need. Rachel and Marcus encourage everyone to donate your own gently used shoes in the receptacles around the county. For more information on “In Jacob’s Shoes” please visit their website. https://www.injacobsshoes.org

Submitted by Deena Padnis (Rachel’s mom) and Betsy Kallor (Marcus’ mom)

Editor's note:  Rachel is the niece of Cheryl Friedenberg,
founder of www.themitzvahbowl.com