A Mitzvah For Girls Around the World

Twelve-year-old Abby Mohr loves to read, write, draw and act. 

"And I do like school," said the Washington Street resident. 

But for millions of girls just like Abby around the world, the thought of going to school is a wish never to come true. Rather then reading, they are forced to work, tend a home or even prepare for marriage. 

As part of her upcoming Bat Mitzvah (which takes place on Oct. 12 at Beth El Temple in Belmont), Abby is seeking to bring light to the plight of those girls and begin to seek a remedy.

One part of Abby's Bat Mitzvah project – consisting of 13 acts of love and kindness (gimilut chasadim) such as studying torah and following Jewish traditional rituals like baking challah – will include a screening of "Girl Rising."

The film, directed by Academy-Award nominated director Richard Robbins, explore  the stories of nine young girls from nine countries such as Egypt, Afgahnistan, Cambodia and Haiti and the barriers they confront while seeking an education.

See a trailer for "Girl Rising" here.

"Either they are poor or some disaster struck like in Haiti or they live in places where it's culturally unacceptable for girls to go to school" said Mohr, who is entering seventh grade at the Chenery Middle School. 

And the goal of an education is not as simple as attending a school; for some, it's a matter of life and death. Last October in a case that reverberated across the world, fifteen-year-old activist Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan for going to school and blogging about her experiences.

"I know that there are some cultures that say that women should not have as much power as men. I don't think that is what they mean to do. It's just their interpretation of their religion which is doing this," said Mohr.

For Mohr – who lives with her father, Glen; mother, Ilyse Robbins and younger brother, Bennett – watching the film, created by the 10X10 Foundation, will hopefully increase awareness of the continued struggles for girls across the world.

"It's very important to me that all girls get an education and have the same rights as boys everywhere," said Mohr.

To achieve her goal, Mohr will need to sell 100 tickets to the screening at the Regal Fenway Stadium 13 at 201 Brookline Ave. in Boston on Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. before July 9. She already has sold two-thirds of the number needed and still has about 30 tickets to go. 

Tickets are $10 and purchase tickets go to this website or http://gathr.us/screening/4462

"This is not just important that I reach my goal because I want to be Bat Mitzvah but also because it's really really important that girls everywhere get an education," Abby said.