Beth El’s award winning B’nai Mitzvah program is under the direction of Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro. The time of becoming B’nai Mitzvah is a sacred occasion celebrated by our entire congregation. At Beth El, we do our utmost to assure that the B’nai Mitzvah experience is a positive, nurturing, and deeply moving one. All children, regardless of ability or knowledge of Hebrew, are encouraged to go through the time-honored ritual of being called to the Torah as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Congregation Beth El is affiliated with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, therefore, we adhere to their requirements for B’nai Mitzvah which is five years of Hebrew School classes starting in Gimmel (3rd Grade) or attendance at a Jewish day school.
Our children are tutored months in advance of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah date, supervised by our Hazzan and our talented and devoted tutors.
Each of our B’nai Mitzvah children learn about their Torah portion with the Rabbis and write a D’var Torah to share their insight on their parsha.
The students and their parents attend Tallit and T’fillin sessions with the clergy. These six sessions include breakfast, discussion, education, and preparation to help the child and parent gain a comfort level with the Siddur and the service.
B’nai Mitzvah and Beyond is a two-session class where parents learn the deeper meaning of being called to the Torah as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah; parents are invited to help their child prepare the D’var Torah.
The children are also required to participate in the 13 Mitzvot Program, where they broaden their knowledge of Judaism and perform acts of study, ritual, and kindness. Each child also selects his/her own special tzedakah project.
During the school semester preceding the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, every student will take a weekly, hour-long class with Rabbi Krupnick where he/she will study fundamentals of Jewish identity and observance. The goal is for students to understand the meaning of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.