B’nai 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 b’nai 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 b’nai mitzvah celebrations.
Mordecai Kaplan’s daughter describes her bat mitzvah in 1922 in New York.
Various congregrations in Israel recite this prayer in synagogue for a bat mitzvah. It is adapted from the standard Siddur Rinat Yisrael.
A traditional bat mitzvah prayer from the community of Florence, Italy
A traditional bat mitzvah prayer
A beautiful poem about a daughter’s coming of age
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