Central to the right of passage of a B’not Mitzvah, an essential part of the heritage and upbringing of Jewish twin girls, is the term Mitzvah – a good deed.  A B’not Mitzvah includes reading from the Torah (the Old Testament), leading some or all of a religious service, and creating and delivering a personal statement or reflection.  This past year, Hannah and Julia Sherr fully embraced the Mitzvah concept and dedicated their celebration to raising money for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.

Since their older brother Matthew was diagnosed at the age of 6, the Sherr family has made finding a cure for T1D a top priority.  Following Matthew’s example at his own Bar Mitzvah, where he raised an incredible $100,000, Hannah and Julia made the generous and selfless decision to donate their contributions to JDRF – the leading global organization funding T1D research.  “The girls always wanted to donate all of their Bat Mitzvah money,” said the proud parents.  While they considered many causes, “they talked it through – all on their own – and decided that helping Matthew live a better and healthier life was most important to them,” Holly and David continued.

On their invitation, Hannah and Julia kept things simple and spoke from the heart: “Our brother, Matthew, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 6. This means he’s insulin-dependent for life. Seeing him be so brave and face this challenge head-on inspired us to help him and the millions of others with this disease.”

“We are really proud of our daughters!” said Holly, who is on the board of directors of the New York City chapter of JDRF. “We all know JDRF is doing so much for people with T1D – not only working toward a cure, but making Matthew’s life healthier every day.”

Together, the family set a goal of $7,500 – and blew past it in no time. “They kept raising the goal as they kept surpassing it. It was an amazing feeling for them,” Holly said. In the end, Hannah and Julia collected close to $65,000 in donations.

Exceeding their expectations certainly paved the way for a joyous B’not Mitzvah, which took place in May. But for Hannah and Julia, the real sense of contentment goes much deeper. “They really feel so lucky in life and are so appreciative of what they have,” Holly said. “They were delighted to do this great deed.”

By choosing to honor this special day by raising money for JDRF, Hannah and Julia are making a difference in Matthew’s life and the lives of the millions of others affected by T1D. The JDRF NYC Chapter would love to express our sincerest thanks and appreciation to the entire Sherr Family.