Bnei Mitzvah

Bar/bat mitzvah parties so dominate the social lives of teens in New York City that, according to a New York Times article, non-Jewish families are holding “faux mitzvahs” for their envious offspring. What is a bar/bat mitzvah supposed to be? How did it end up like this? Read our overview to learn more, and check out the many new ways families are meaningfully enhancing their bar/bat mitzvah celebrations.

Latest Rituals

person climbing hill in sandy desert with footsteps behind them and bright blue sky with white clouds above
“We are proud of your pride in being Jewish”
four children standing around an open torah scroll in synagogue. the girl in the center is black and wearing a tallit, looking like she is reading from the torah. one girl looking on is white. Two white boys wearing kippot and tallitot are at the side watching.
“May you know your bounty”
tree in the center of image with light shining through, woman dancing to the right, wearing a gauzy white dress that's blowing as she dances with her hands outstretched. she has brown hair and light or olive skin.
“We praise you, Shekhinah, / who has given us life”
purple flowers with a banner reading brucha at bayta diamond
“We all have a name / given by the mountains we climb”
person standing on mountain in front of sea of clouds and sunshine

Honoring Bat Mitzvah pioneers

Liturgy to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Bat Mitzvah

“Your birthright renews every breath”

Tomorrow

“May you never feel alone for you will always have each other”

Sibling Blessing

A beautiful family gathering on Zoom to sing Shehekheyanu for a bar mitzvah

Shehekheyanu: Bringing Us to this Day in the Age of COVID

“The Divine breath / Enters the human shape”

Creation Stories

The Reconstructionist Network

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