WHEN teenager Meiron Avidan was told she had to carry out something for charity to complete a religious coming of age process she thought life was too short.
In fact when she heard about children suffering in Israel she thought it was a case of hair today, gone tomorrow.
Because the 13-year-old from Stanmore decided to do her bit by cutting nearly 10 inches of her hair off - to be used as wigs for those undergoing chemotherapy.
The charitable act completes an arduous process of completing her bat mitzvah, at her synagogue Kol Chai based in Uxbridge Road, Hatch End.
The Jewish Free School (JFS) pupil had to have her hair braided before being chopped so that the hair could be sent half way across the world and speaking after the cut, which was carried out at Martin Gold's hairdressers in Stanmore Broadway, free of charge, Meiron said: "I was a bit worried about having it cut before hand but I'm glad that I am able to help out those suffering.
"The elements of bat mitzvah generally has been a lot of hard work so I am really proud to have completed it all and I think my hair still looks ok."
Although the coming of age process is more common amongst boys in Judaism Kol Chai, a reformist synagogue, gives girls the same opportunities.
As well as a charitable act, parts of the Torah must be learnt by those undergoing the process and in total Meiron's studies lasted a whole year.
Meiron's mum Ireen Avidan was delighted with her daughter's completion of her bat mitzvah and added: "Having heard about an Israeli charity called Zichron Menachem, which is named after a boy who died from cancer, she decided on her own that it would be a nice idea to donate her hair to be used to make a wig for another child who has lost their hair from cancer treatment.
"We are really proud of her, because although Meiron's experience is in no way comparable to the trauma of hair loss through cancer treatment, it is a big deal for her to be sacrificing her hair and this is a true act of charity."
