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Josh Bernstein, 12, of Gaithersburg, is making his bar mitzvah in January and has planned a benefit called "Rock 4 a Cure" to raise money for children in Israel with cancer.

"One key value of Jewish life is tzedakah, or righteousness, which is that we owe society a debt and when one becomes a bar mitzvah, one becomes responsible not just for themselves but also for the larger world," said Josh's father, David. "Most bar mitzvah kids do a form of community service."

Bernstein, a seventh-grader at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville and member of Shaare Torah Congregation in Kentlands, planned, marketed and will play at the benefit as part of his community service.

He will sing lead at Saturday's 6 p.m. concert at Potomac Community Center, in memory of Lior Chaya, his cousin in Israel, who died at five years old of brain cancer in 2006. Guests are asked for a $5 donation, which will go to the Israel Cancer Research Fund, which is a U.S.-based nonprofit that funds cancer research and provides fellowships to scientists in Israel.

Drummer Kyle Lefelar, 14, an eighth-grader at Cabin John Middle School in Potomac; guitarist Trevor Mooney, 14, of Germantown, a freshman at Clarksburg High School and bass guitarist Mike Ambrosino, 13, an eighth-grader at Robert Frost Middle School in Rockville, will back Bernstein.

For the past year, the foursome have been playing together, practicing weekly at Bach to Rock, a music school that offers lessons, jam sessions and recording opportunities at its studios in Washingtonian Center.

They met at the school and have attended music camp together.

"The fact that these guys have been together so long is a testament to their commitment," said instructor Alex Applebaum, 22, of Silver Spring.

Stakes are high: Pulse will also play in B2R's Battle of the Bands for Maryland students Dec. 19 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., a semiannual event that brings winners bragging rights, promotional opportunities and a chance to record their original material in the B2Rstudios with the help of a professional audio engineer.

Donate to the Israel Cancer Research Fund at www.

icrfonline.org in honor of Josh Bernstein's bar mitzvah.