Born and raised in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, barmitzvah boy Cael attends Holywell Middle School in the village. An Arsenal fan, he plays for Cranfield Colts and has won a top-scorer award for the boys' under-13s. His family joined the synagogue in 2005
What was special about your simchah?
As we live a long way from Radlett, it was difficult to arrange lessons at the synagogue, so my mum taught me my Torah portion - with a bit of help from Rabbi Paul Freedman. Even my sister Danniella helped, especially when I was finding it all a bit stressful. Four weeks before my barmitzvah, Rabbi Freedman asked if I wanted to use the new Reform siddur. I couldn't say yes fast enough. We had to keep it a secret just in case the new siddurim did not arrive in time. To top it all, when the siddurim finally came in, they were bright red. How great was that for an Arsenal fan!
Tell us about the ceremony
I was very nervous at the start because there were some extra words in the new siddur that I thought the congregation might not spot. However, it all turned out OK as Rabbi Freedman made sure I was well prepared to lead the service. It felt like a special moment and I had a lot of fun. I was lucky enough to have all my grandparents there and they were smiling proudly all the way through the service. For me, the hardest part was when I had to recite the barmitzvah prayer while holding the Torah. It may not look heavy, but it is. My mum even managed not to cry. Many of my friends from school had never been to a barmitzvah before and they were amazed at how much I had to learn. It was so nice to have them with me when we escorted the Torah back to the Ark. By then I was able to relax as all the hard work was over.
Tell us about the celebration
It was the best night of my life. It was a beach party and there was an inflatable surf-rider machine that even the rabbi had a go on. Everyone had a great time.