April 13, 2010 / 29 Nissan 5770

For her Bat Mitzvah, Natalie Dicker of New York decided to take some of the things she loves the most – books, learning and staying organized – and share them with Ethiopian youth in Israel.

First she raised awareness about Ethiopian Aliyah. And then she collected four over-sized boxes full of school supplies from friends and members of her community, which she brought with her to Israel where she celebrated her Bat Mitzvah this past March. Natalie donated the school supplies to the Mevasseret Zion Absorption Center, the Jewish Agency's largest absorption center that accommodates over 1,000 new immigrants from Ethiopia.

Natalie also gave a generous donation to the "My First Library Program" through the UJA Federation of New York's 'Give a Mitzvah - Do a Mitzvah' Program that gives ten children's books to every family with young children living at Mevasseret Zion.

Joining Natalie in Israel were her parents, Mordy and Nicole, her four siblings, and a circle of friends and extended family. She celebrated her Bat Mitzvah at the Kehilat Mevasseret Zion (KMZ) Synagogue where, during the celebrations after the ceremony, a song and dance troupe of six Ethiopian girls entertained the crowd with traditional songs and dances.

"The highlight of [our] vacation was most definitely Natalie's Bat Mitzvah," wrote her mother, Nicole, in a thank-you email to Jewish Agency staff. "We were amazed at the absorption center and loved how the dance troupe added to the festivities…Contributing the books for the library as well as the school supplies that we collected was a real treat for us."