The Birmingham Jewish Federation and The Birmingham Jewish Foundation are proud to provide funding to help support our local B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) chapters.

Birmingham is home to two BBYO chapters, Magic City BBG (girls) and Mesch AZA (boys). BBYO is an international organization that provides Jewish teens with opportunities to engage in Jewish experiences.

The following is a wonderful story of how Mesch AZA took the opportunity to teach its members about the Jewish tradition of "yahrzeit" or honoring the memory of the deceased on the Hebrew date of their death. The boys did so recently upon the yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Mesch for whom their chapter is named.

Rabbi Abraham J. Mesch served as rabbi of Temple Beth-El synagogue from 1935 until his death in 1962, extraordinarily important years in Jewish history. He was a beloved leader with a strong commitment to Jewish education and community.

Each year on the yahrzeit of Rabbi Mesch the members of Mesch AZA usually come together at "minyan" or the daily Jewish prayer service to recite the Mourner's Kaddish (memorial prayer) in his memory and honor. This year the teens turned the occasion into an opportunity to learn more about Jewish burial rites and practices.

"HOLY SOCIETY"

They met at Rabbi Mesch's grave in Birmingham's Elmwood Cemetery on a chilly December afternoon. Long-time Birmingham Jewish community member Eph Mazer spoke to the teens. He first reflected on his days as a member of Mesch AZA and then explained the Jewish customs of burial as performed by the Chevra Kadisha, Hebrew for "holy society."

Eph performs these rituals as part of Temple Beth-El's Chevra Kadisha; a group of Jewish men and women who prepare the bodies for burial according to Jewish tradition. Rabbi Ira Flax also talked to the teens about the different customs associated with Jewish burials and the symbolism and meaning of each.

During the program, the boys called Rabbi Mesch's son, Dr. Barry Mesch, on the phone to include him. Through the use of a speaker phone, Dr. Mesch, a professor of theology at Hebrew College in Boston, was able to join the young men in chanting the Mourner's Kaddish for his father. "It was a special moment," wrote Mesch AZA advisor Barry Dreayer in an email to Update.

We thank Barry Dreayer for sharing this special story of Jewish tradition and commend the young men of Mesch AZA for their commitment to learning about their Jewish heritage and tradition. Dollars raised by The BJF Annual Campaign and The Foundation help our teens attend BBYO conventions and participate in leadership experiences.

Helping our young people learn and grow Jewishly is a top priority of our Federation and Foundation and, as always, we thank those who contribute to our organizations and help make this important work possible.

Pictured by Rabbi Mesch's grave are, from left, Michael Cullinan, Rabbi Ira Flax, Yitzi Peetluk and Barry Dreayer, Mesch AZA advisor. Barry is holding a cell phone so that Dr. Barry Mesch could join the young men in reciting the Kaddish prayer in memory of his father.