Beit Mitzvah Program
Bar and Bat mitzvah at Temple Beth El is a meaningful and fulfilling celebration, celebrated on a Shabbat after a student's thirteenth birthday. Our students accomplish a tremendous amount and as a result experience a level of growth and pride that many describe as one of the best experiences of their lives. Our clergy will assign a bar/bat mitzvah date for each child at the beginning of the sixth grade year. The date chosen is the one that works best for your child in relation to his/her birthday, the birthdays that come before it and the Temple calendar. If your assigned date does not meet the needs of your family, you can request one of the remaining available dates.
Quick links:
Prayers and Blessings
7th grade curriculum
A beit mitzvah planning guide has been prepared for prospective bar/bat mitzvah families. Please read it carefully.
Requirements and Expectations
A vital and wonderful feature of our B’nai Mitzvah Program is community. The fact that students bond with approximately 20 other students doing the same thing enhances the experience tremendously. Parents and families of the b’nai mitzvah also bond during the process and become a supportive community. Please mark your calendars for the following gatherings. Your participation is very beneficial and important and thus is required as part of our program.
A parent/student orientation to review the many details that relate to this celebration will take place in March of their 6th grade year.
The class and their families join for a wonderful family retreat on a weekend at the end of the 6th grade, usually the first weekend in June. This enables the families to learn together and to address all questions and logistics.
During the summer between 6th and 7th grade, students attend a Prayers and Blessings classroon Wednesday evenings with Rabbi Shifra to review the Prayers and Blessings.
Please note that we require a minimum enrollment in Temple School of two years prior to bar or bat mitzvah and that b’nai mitzvah must attend the full year of our wonderful 7th grade program. Seventh Grade students meet concurrently with Hebrew High. Please read about our unique 7th grade curriculum.