Bar and 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 or 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 and bat mitzvah celebrations.
A traditional bat mitzvah prayer from the community of Florence, Italy [more]
A traditional bat mitzvah prayer [more]
A mother's prayer, written for her son's Bar Mitzvah [more]
A beautiful poem about a daughter's coming of age [more]
Riffing on the now-traditional candle-lighting, this ceremony offers a candle for eight women in Jewish history. [more]
A beautiful alternative to a candle-lighting ceremony [more]
Following the synagogue service, a minyan of community members conveys what membership in the community entails. [more]
A mother's poem describing her experiences with divorce as they affected her daughter's Bat Mitzvah [more]
The goal of the Remember Us Project is to have each Bar or Bat Mitzvah student remember one individual child lost in the Holocaust. [more]
Poem marking the occasion of a child's Bat/Bar Mitzvah [more]
