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Monday, November 9, 2009

It Takes a Retirement Village for This Israel Bar Mitzvah

by Adam Sosnik, JTA

It was a bar mitzvah for the ages -- or, rather, the aged.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Celebrations trim down amid recession

by Adam Sosnik, JTA

With the weak economy forcing lifestyle changes large and small, one of the mainstays of American Jewish life — the bar and bat mitzvah party — is undergoing some recession-era adaptation.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Maccabiah B’nai Mitzvah Large Draw for Team USA

by Jacob Silverman, Contributing Writer

When Jessica Zutz was training with the U.S. women’s open field hockey team, she hadn’t given much thought to participating in Team USA’s b’nai mitzvah, an event scheduled before the start of the 18th Maccabiah Games in July.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

A Double Simcha Without a Double Headache

by Lee Barnathan, Contributing Writer

Deborah Siegel Baker is mother to identical twins Max and Sam, who will celebrate their b’nai mitzvah in 2011. She already experienced the joys and pressures of planning a simcha with her daughter’s bat mitzvah four years ago at Hillcrest Jewish Center in Flushing, N.Y. And given that experience, the prospect of planning for two has her on edge, even though it’s still two years away.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Work Humor Into the B’nai Mitzvah Speech

by ADAM GROPMAN

The bimah is only a few feet above the floor, yet for any mom looking out across the synagogue at the gathered sea of mostly familiar faces, she might as well be Moses addressing the crowd from atop Mount Sinai. While the audience is friendly and the content of her speech concerns matters far less urgent than those of life and death — or the very future of a nation — she is nonetheless anxious and tense. The occasion is her son’s bar mitzvah and she wants her speech to strike just the right chord — a blend of poignant, interesting, relevant, terse and funny.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Inmates Celebrate B’not Mitzvah

by Annabelle Gurwitch

Two women, identified as Carol and Pamela — not their real names — became b’not mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 5. Both are inmates at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Corona, located about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The event is believed to be the first bat mitzvah to take place inside prison walls in the United States.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Hot Shots

By Elyse Glickman

The parents of post-bar or bat mitzvah children often display their photo album featuring moments from the big day — their child holding the Torah, posing with family, hanging on for dear life during the chair dance and mugging for the camera with friends. But these albums reflect how the parents see their child, rather than how the children see themselves.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Climbing to Reach Bat Mitzvah

by Anne Phyllis Pinzow

Standing on the eastern tower of Masada in the Negev Desert, watching the sun rise higher in the sky over the Dead Sea, reciting a Hebrew passage from the Torah, I cried with joy, triumph and anticipation as I was in the midst of what I considered the most personally momentous occasion of my life to that point — my bat mitzvah celebratio

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

B’nai Mitzvah Bind Our Tradition of God, Torah, Israel

By Rabbi David Wolpe

Who believes that the 13-year-old standing before the congregation is really a man or woman?

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

How to Succeed in B’nai Mitzvah Without Really Trying!

by Todd Shotz

So you want to have a bar or bat mitzvah ... good. Here are a few tips on how to make it through the year leading up to the big day.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

How to Choose a Mitzvah Project

by Rabbi Dara Frimmer

Before you jump into the process of choosing a mitzvah project, consider the following question: Why are we asking our b’nai mitzvah students to complete 10 hours of service work in the midst of an otherwise overprogrammed, stressful time in their lives

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Party Like a (Bar Mitzvah) Rock Star

By Karla S. Blume

Most parents are willing to do anything to make their kids’ dream bar or bat mitzvah celebration come true, even if it means fulfilling rock-star ambitions — be they genuine or virtual.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

What Your Rabbi Should Ask Your Child

by Michele Alperin, Contributing Writer

When rabbis meet individually with students and their families as the bar or bat mitzvah date approaches, it gives them a chance to deepen the relationship outside of the weekly classes and Shabbat services. For many rabbis, these conversations are key to personalizing the bar/bat mitzvah and help shape the message they give during the service.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Plan A Party BudgetWith Your Teen (Yes, It’s Possible)

by Michele Golland

Planning a bar or bat mitzvah can be stressful enough, but add difficult economic times and it can be a downright frightening and challenging time emotionally. Let’s face it — communicating with a teenager is not easy in the first place, but add high expectations for their big day and it may be nearly imposs

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Simple Synagogue Rules for Non-Jewish Guests

by Debbie L. Sklar, Contributing Writer

Attending a bar/bat mitzvah can be confusing, and perhaps even daunting, especially for guests who aren’t Jewish.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

A Few Extra Steps Make Kosher-Observant Welcome

by Lisa Armony, Contributing Writer

If you’ve chosen non-kosher catering for the bar or bat mitzvah, you may still wish to accommodate guests who observe Jewish dietary laws. But with standards of kashrut observance varying from person to person, meeting everyone’s needs can get tricky.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Help Is Here for Planning a Ceremony in Israel

by Judith Broder Sellner

Given the negative press about over-the-top b’nai mitzvah celebrations, many families are rethinking the black-tie or other extravaganza, giving preference to true expressions of mitzvot.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Pull Offa Bar or Bat Mitzvahon Time

by Sharon Duke Estroff

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Student Project Scores for Soccer Charity

By Lee Barnathan

Jacob Wolf Price has two goals. One is of the soccer variety: put the ball in the back of the net or at least keep the opponent from doing so. The second goal relates to soccer, too, but Jacob thinks beyond his 13 years — he wants to use the sport to help less-fortunate youths.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Time Flies,Except When Writing Speech

by Ellie S. Grossman

I’m working on my speech for Jack’s upcoming bar mitzvah, and it’s harder to write than I thought.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Green Bar Mitzvah: A Cautionary Tale

by Judith D. Schwartz

In keeping with my son, Brendan’s, bar mitzvah project on energy efficiency, I was committed to the idea of making the event eco-friendly.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Girl Doesn’t Let Pain Stand in Way of Her Bat Mitzvah

Lee Barnathan, Contributing Writer

Preparing for a bar or bat mitzvah is time consuming. A student in the throes of becoming a teenager has to learn Torah and haftarah portions, plus required prayers and blessings. Then there’s the speech, the mitzvah project and the weekly meetings with the cantor or rabbi, or both.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

What to Do When the Kid Just Says ‘No!’

Jeff Bernhardt, Contributing Writer

While the majority of young people preparing for a bar or bat mitzvah might not skip merrily into every tutoring appointment and eagerly look forward to the hours upon hours of studying (iPod tuned to the haftarah blessings rather their favorite playlist), they at least recognize that the preparations are part of the expectation that parents, family and community have of them. And other than some parental nagging (“Did you go over your Torah portion today?”) or a call from the tutor suggesting that he or she may need to ramp things up, progress is made, preparations are on schedule and a pride-filled service takes place.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Take Me Out to the Bar Mitzvah…

Lee Barnathan, Contributing Writer