B’nai Mitzvah

One of the ways we pass Jewish traditions and identity on to our children is through the ritual of celebrating a tween’s reaching the age of 12 or 13.  The B’nai Mitzvah ritual is more than just a rote act for children.  Done well, it is a spiritually and communally engaging rite of passage for the entire family – including you, the parents who are raising your child as part of the Jewish community.  B’nai Mitzvah ritual ceremonies typically take place on Shabbat morning (Saturday morning) and are the culmination of years of study capped by an intensive year (or so) of working with Cantor Kissner and Rabbi Treu.

At Oheb Shalom, families work with our clergy and education team to create a B’nai Mitzvah experience that is tailored to the child’s interests and family’s goals.  While all students learn to chant Torah, lead parts of the service and offer their own teaching by giving a d’var Torah (sermon), we treasure the creativity each individual student brings.  We offer a few different tracks of study and exploration, enabling each B’nai Mitzvah to go deeper into what interests them – be that chanting Torah and haftarah, leading prayer services in Hebrew with the traditional nusach (melodies), or an artistic or social justice-related project as the centerpiece of their learning and celebration.  While B’nai Mitzvah rituals take place on Shabbat morning as part of the broader Oheb Shalom community, we are excited to make each one unique.