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.
Audio/video shiviti meditation chant
“I am the one / whose prayers were left unanswered…”
A meditation for those who do not read Hebrew but wish to learn Torah
A poem about the wisdom in female friendship and laughter
Passing down our ancestors’ staff from generation to generation
A blessing for parents to recite at a child’s bar or bat mitzvah
How do we decide to be who we are meant to be?
Humanist Sh’ma
Learn the traditional blessing before the Torah reading in American Sign Language
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