And let me tell you, there\’s nothing quite like a Jewish summer camp. At a time when Jewish identity struggles to compete with the complexities and distractions of the 21st century, the Jewish summer camp experience has somehow continued to thrive on its simplicity.
We all remember the buddy system from grade school. When you\’d go to the ocean, you\’d have a buddy. When you\’d go to the museum, you\’d have a buddy. And now that you\’re old enough to hit the bar scene, you should still have a buddy.
Bert Metter wrote \”Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: How Jewish Boys and Girls Come of Age,\” a guide specifically geared toward the b\’nai mitzvah student. But more than two decades later, Metter said the book deserved an update, because it no longer reflects contemporary ceremonies, especially since practices and celebrations have evolved.
When I saw how happy my sister was, I realized that this wedding experience wasn\’t about me. It wasn\’t about creating a gender balance in my family. It wasn\’t about gaining a big brother.
I know now the bar mitzvah ceremony didn\’t instantly make me a man, but if I am one today, after 10 years, its because of the lessons I learned throughout the entire experience.
George Valencia said the inspiration for the film came from his worst memory as a bar mitzvah emcee — he had run out of glow ropes during a party for a particularly affluent family only to discover that the bar mitzvah boy had never received one.
Keeping in mind that singing, dancing and drinking may be the typical methods of rejoicing, its important to remember there are other ways to truly celebrate the value of existence — like picking up and reading a great comedy.
It was unclear who was there for the punk and who was there for the Judaism, but everyone seemed to be there for the music.
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