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Category: Blog

Rabbi for Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah Ceremonies – Any Venue Blog

Bar Mitzvah Project – Holocaust Remembrance Foundation

March 18, 2024

Many of my bat mitzvah and bar mitzvah students are looking for interesting mitzvah projects. Here’s an example that one of my bar mitzvah students is doing for his mitzvah project in partnership with the Holocaust Remembrance Foundation in Philadelphia. Similar Mitzvah Project opportunities exist in other cities as well. Dear Friends and Family, For […]

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How to Make Your Own Tallit

March 3, 2024

I recently had a bat mitzvah student ask if she could make her own tallit. She loves tigers and recently ordered bed sheets with pictures of tigers on them, but they were the wrong size. The company sent a replacement set and told her to keep the original set. She asked me if she could […]

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Talking About Israel with Our Children & Teens

October 11, 2023

Dear Parents, As I write these words the situation in Israel seems to be getting even more concerning and disheartening. Several parents have asked me for advice on how to talk to children and teenagers about the current situation in Israel. The quick answer is that it is not easy to have these conversations, but […]

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Mitzvah Project Mania

September 29, 2023

From eJewishPhilanthropy By Esther D. Kustanowitz New initiatives look to help Jewish teens connect to themselves and their community before becoming adults Gone are the days of donating a portion of your gift money to charity; groups across the U.S. want b’nai mitzvah projects to resonate. When Elie Klein was 13, he knew that giving […]

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The $7 Million Bat Mitzvah

July 7, 2023

My AEPi fraternity brother and financial consultant, David Ogman of Boca Raton, Florida, posted a very interesting LinkedIn commentary today. When the rabbi of his synagogue called to schedule his daughter’s Bat Mitzvah he considered how a long term investment would yield a sizable retirement fund for his daughter in lieu of a $100,000 Bat […]

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Gender Neutral Bar Mitzvah Ceremony – The B Mitzvah

April 26, 2023

‘I wanted to be more me’: Teens propel a trend toward gender-neutral mitzvah ceremonies By Shira Nathan – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) Like many Jewish teens, Ash Brave was nervous for their b’nai mitzvah. Memorizing the Torah portion, sending invitations, planning a party: It’s a lot for a 13-year-old to think about during what can […]

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ESPN’s Jeff Passan Recalls His Bar Mitzvah and Hebrew School

February 24, 2023

From JTA.org (by Jacob Gurvis) For tuned-in baseball fans, Jeff Passan is everywhere. As ESPN’s senior MLB insider, he frequently breaks some of the sport’s biggest news and appears on several of the global sports network’s television, radio and podcast programs. After two decades of reporting, can anything make him nervous? There is one athlete […]

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Autographed Baseball from a Bar Mitzvah Boy

January 31, 2023

I collect autographed baseballs signed by professional players, including many Hall of Famers, but I’ve always cherished the autographed balls signed by the little league players I’ve coached over the years. One of the baseballs I display in my office was inscribed by Adam, a bar mitzvah student of mine from 2021. Adam presented me […]

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The Role of Grandparents in Their Grandchildren’s B-Mitzvah Experience

October 26, 2022

BY RAHEL MUSLEAH JEWISH GRANDPARENTS NETWORK REIMAGINING ROLE OF GRANDPARENTS IN GRANDCHILDREN’S B-MITZVAH EXPERIENCE We all recognize this B-Mitzvah scene: A 13-year-old stands on the bimah, chants from the Torah and/or haftarah, and delivers a d’var Torah prepared with the help of the rabbi or educator. The extended family sits in the front row, emotional […]

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Am I Really A Bat Mitzvah (An Original Essay)

September 20, 2022

*This is a wonderful original essay by a Jewish day school graduate who is now in high school. This essay won first prize in the Cohn-Haddow Center essay contest in 2022. Am I Really A Bat Mitzvah By Ellery Gnesin Tuesday, March 24th 2020 Standing there, in the middle of dancing at 8 o’clock in […]

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