Shenley United Jewish Community's first barmitzvah boy is a JFS pupil. He attended Hertsmere Jewish Primary and is a football-mad Tottenham fan
What was special about your simchah?
I feel very honoured to have had the first barmitzvah in Shenley. I hope I made all my friends, family and the Shenley United community proud. Our synagogue has been running for five years. We have been members since it was set up, and we attend regularly. It's more like an extended family. When there is a crisis, everyone is on hand to help and do whatever needs doing. We were only sorry that our beloved Rabbi Shmuli Kass [who died of cancer last year] could not be with us on this most memorable day. But I am sure he was looking down on me and smiling and been as proud as my parents, family and friends were. Without his and his wife Batsheva's guidance, the barmitzvah would not have been possible.
Tell us about the party
The atmosphere was wonderful, the children were all dancing and it was a pleasure to watch everyone having such a fantastic evening. There was a broad age range of guests - from children as young as four to adults in their 90s, all dancing the night away. Relatives travelled from as far as California to join the celebration.