In Jill Rappaport\’s book, \”Mazel Tov: Celebrities\’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories\” she interviews 21 celebrities as they describe how the b\’nai mitzvah experience brought them to where they are today. With the photographic help of her sister, Linda Solomon, Rappaport provides a joyfully contrasting image of the celebrities and their familiar adolescent counterparts.
JewishTVNetwork.com, which has launched its own user-generated channel, wants to celebrate by holding a contest to find the funniest, most embarrassing bar/bat mitzvah moments. Think \”America\’s Funniest Home Videos,\” but with kippot.
The bar and bat mitzvah is traditionally viewed as an entry point into the adult Jewish community, but for many, it\’s also seen as the door out of both Jewish education and the synagogue. For those who become congregants, Los Angeles synagogues are trying to help b\’nai mitzvah students and families understand that the ceremony and its preparation symbolize one point on a continuum of Jewish life and learning. Their goal is to strengthen the communal ties of their marginally committed congregants.
Gabriel Shacket stood on the bimah, before the Holy Ark, and led the morning service for a group of 75 family members and friends. He recited the prayers and blessings, chanted from the Torah and delivered a speech. In short, the 13-year-old became a bar mitzvah.
The purpose of this speech is to prepare you for your bar mitzvah. And to let you know — as Noah thought when he received the blueprints from the Master Shipbuilder — this ain\’t gonna be easy.
Planning a bar mitzvah in Israel? The Israeli Ministry of Tourism has just posted a Web site to help you get started
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