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Having a party? Make it a PARTY!

• Mar 23, 2018

There are parties, and then there are PARTIES. 

Adult bar mitzvahs fill yearning for spirituality

• Jan 11, 2018

From the outside, a bar or bat mitzvah can seem routine. Teenagers study for a few years, have a ceremony when they are either 12 or 13 years old and then have a party. However, the path often is more complex for those who are not able to go through the typical process. Jewish adults who wer…

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B’nai mitzvah telephone for teens

• Jan 11, 2018

Jewish teens and their families will remember their b’nai mitzvahs for as long as they live. They can also look fondly back on those of their friends. Here, we ask four Jewish teens their favorite friends’ b’nai mitzvahs.

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A Thanksgiving mitzvah

• Nov 29, 2017

Guests at Congregation Temple Israel’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner for Those in Need typically just head to the auditorium for a meal with the usual holiday spread. But on Wednesday last week, after they finished eating, they were also invited to go to the chapel.

The unique pressures of being a b’nai mitzvah

• Sep 14, 2017

Studying for a bar or bat mitzvah can be one of the most nerve-racking experiences in a young teenager’s life. There are months upon months of studying, which often place teens in high-stress situations. Often times students carry enormous anxiety with them as their bar or bat mitzvah approaches.

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Bar/bat mitzvah initiative aims to engage Israeli families here

• Jun 22, 2016

After forming a Hebrew school specifically for secular Israelis, Bais Abraham recently created a yearlong bar and bat mitzvah program for Israeli families living in the St. Louis area.

Young and old at Temple Emanuel pursue their Chai Mitzvah

• Jan 28, 2016

For Barbara Lewington, the Chai Mitzvah program isn’t so much a new experience as it is an ongoing extension of her faith.

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Young at Ark: Bar mitzvah at 82

• Sep 24, 2015

On Saturday, I had the joy of attending the bar mitzvah of my friend Paul Gallant at Congregation B’nai Amoona. Paul is 82 years old.

I’m convinced Paul coined the phrase, “You’re never too old to rock and roll,” because Paul has never allowed age to define him, or hold him back. Long ago he decided an old dog could learn new tricks, and learn them well, as witnessed by the fact that he first took up running at age 57. And we’re not just talking a casual jog around the park.

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Mezuzah mitzvah

• Jun 10, 2015

Josh Fingerman is creating custom-made mezuzahs from Legos as his mitzvah project. He sells them for $36 and has already raised more than $2,500, which he plans to donate to three nonprofit organizations, including Temple Israel, where he will become a bar mitzvah in October.

Bar mitzvah's moving d'var Torah

• Apr 30, 2015

Chase Pultman, who has High Functioning Autism, became a bar mitzvah in February at B’nai Amoona. In the attached PDF, read his moving d'var Torah about the counting of the Jewish People at Mount Sinai, and how he feels at times that because of his autism, he does not always “count” in the e…

A bar mitzvah 50 years in the making

• Jul 16, 2014

On a recent Shabbat morning, the sanctuary at Central Reform Congregation is bathed in sunlight and alive with music and dance. Independence Day was the day before, but the festivities aren’t in honor of the July Fourth weekend. Instead, as the ruckus dies down, the words of Scott Goldman ri…

Mitzvah project for life?

• Nov 13, 2013

For many Jewish pre-teens, the most daunting aspect of their bar/bat mitzvah is the idea of a mitzvah project, or an act of charity that betters the community. After it is successfully completed, numerous experience a sense of fulfillment, and promise to further this charitable activity with…

Rabbi strives to keep ‘mitzvah’ in bar/bat mitzvah

• Sep 25, 2013

It is among the best-known Jewish traditions, one that often sees parents and children alike preparing for months. But Rabbi Ze’ev Smason knows the ceremony marking Jewish adulthood can come with a price.

Merely opulent or way overboard? Marking a rite of passage in high style

• Jun 5, 2013

NEW YORK — Dressed in a black-and-white tuxedo and surrounded by a  Secret Service detail, former President Bill Clinton greeted well-wishers at a bar mitzvah held at an upscale hotel in Los Angeles, shaking hands with guests and patiently posing for pictures. Once everyone had arrived, the …

Rabbi offers three questions to ponder for a bar or bat mitzvah in 2013

• Jun 5, 2013

Mazel Tov on your upcoming simcha! It’s never too early to start thinking about your bar or bat mitzvah, and I advise you to approach this important rite of passage not as a sort of graduation ceremony, but as a meaningful transition towards Jewish adulthood.

How to attend a bar mitzvah as an adult

• Jun 5, 2013

As young people, bar and bat mitzvah parties helped us build character: Awkward social interactions, quiet slow-dances where you desperately try not to make eye contact, and condescending head-pats from adults and kids taller than us. 

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Live & Learn

• Jun 5, 2013

Caleb Micah Pultman

Beach blanket bar mitzvah: Taking the theme to the extreme

• Jun 5, 2013

With his mom’s track record, Blake Berg figured he would enjoy himself. What the 13-year-old did not anticipate was having “the best time of my life.”

Buck the trend and put the congregation on the b’nai mitzvah guest list

• Jun 5, 2013

LOS ANGELES — More and more families planning bar and bat mitzvahs are taking the advice of Jeffrey Salkin, author of “Putting God on the Guest List,” by making sure to incorporate spiritual elements into their celebrations.

How my brother’s bar mitzvah taught me about the true meaning of joy

• Jun 5, 2013

NEW YORK — In 3½ all-too-brief years, I’ll be sitting in a synagogue pew watching my oldest son become a bar mitzvah. This milestone event will mean several things.