Toddler to Teen
B’Mitzvah
“Moses received the Torah and handed it over to Joshua who handed it over to the elders”…..who handed it over to you.
Explore and affirm your Jewish identity.
Nurture the joy of Jewish living.
Students make meaningful connections to our traditions by exploring their relationship to Jewish values and culture.
Mazel tov! We are excited to welcome you to the sixth and seventh grade B’Yachad learning program at Temple Beth Elohim. These years ahead are years of growth, exploration, challenge, celebration, meaning, and connection. During the sixth and seventh grades, our curriculum will focus on Hebrew study, tikkun olam (repairing the world), Jewish texts (Torah and Prophets), Jewish history, and creating positive social and emotional connections through a Jewish lens. In addition, we will support your family on a b’mitzvah journey which will include family programs with our staff and clergy, group and individual tutoring, and clergy meetings.
With joy for reaching this milestone on your journey,
Cantor Shanna Zell and Cantor Josh Rosenberg
Inclusive Community
Inclusivity is a value reflected in every aspect of the b’mitzvah process at TBE. Some of the ways we create a ceremony that will be the most meaningful for your child include:
- Supporting the learning styles of every child. We’ll plan a process and ceremony that meet the social, emotional, and learning needs of your child.
- Using a non-binary, gender-neutral term “b’mitzvah” to include all students as well as when referring to multiple bar or bat mitzvahs.
- We offer opportunities for your whole family to participate in the ceremony as your child becomes b’mitzvah, regardless of whether they are Jewish.
Please reach out to let us know how we can best support your child and family through the b’mitzvah process.
Contact
Cantor Shanna Zell
Learning Programs
We strongly belive in lifelong Jewish learning, and we support the ongoing education of our members beginning at the youungest ages and contuining into adulthood. Becoming b’mitzvah is part of the Jewish life cycle, and preparation for the service and celebration are but one aspect of a student’s education.
All students in grades 4–6 enroll in our b’mitzvah Hebrew program, which prepares each student to be comfortable with key components of prayer services and to empower them to lead the congregation in prayer when they become b’mitzvah.
In grades 6 & 7, students participate in B’Yachad (together), our program geared toward helping students develop their identities as emerging Jewish adults and members of the global Jewish community. B’Yachad includes classroom learning, community service work, informal learning on a Shabbaton (retreat), community building, and social activities.
Learn more about our learning programs.
Contact
Josh Rosenberg
B’Mitzvah Prep
Tutoring
Students are assigned for 1:1 sessions to help them learn their Torah portions and the prayers they will lead during services.
Family Programs
The b’mitzvah process is a family endeavor. Parents support and encourage their child in the preparation. Begining when students are in grade four and continuing every year through your child’s b’mitzvah, we offer family programs and educational sessions designed to support families on this b’mitzvah journey.
Kesher
Students in 7th grade participate in Kesher (“Connection”), a values-based community building program that meets once a week. Students participate in peer-to-peer discussions facilitated by our dedicated staff.
Contact
Josh Rosenberg
Ma’asim Tovim
Ma’asim Tovim (“Good Works”) is a volunteer community service component of B’Yachad. In their 6th and 7th grade years, students engage in service learning to form deep connections between the volunteer work and Jewish tradition.
- View Ma’asim Tovim Opportunities
- Sign up for Ma’asim Tovim Opportunities
- Subscribe to Ma’asim Tovim Calendar
Contact
Mira Warmflash
Tikkun Olam Youth Educator
Resources for Students
Prayer and chanting resources
Learn blessings, practice chanting prayers, and listen to cantillation resources.
Contact
Kristine Potter
B’Mitzvah Coordinator
Celebrations
Ways to Celebrate
There are many ways to celebrate this milestone in your child’s life. You might host a Shabbat dinner, afternoon luncheon, or nighttime party for all ages.
If you’d like to host your celebration at TBE, our community gathering spaces are a blank canvas on which you can create the celebration that will be most meaningful to your family. Our spaces have seen it all: Dance parties to food trucks, movie nights to game nights, and everything in between. You’re welcome to work with your own vendors or select from a list we recommend.
Celebrating at TBE
Our makom is home
Hosting your celebration at TBE is one way to embrace the temple as an essential place in our Jewish lives.
Repair the world as you celebrate
When you celebrate at TBE, the values your new Jewish adult has committed to upholding are the building blocks of your celebration—literally! Our building was designed to be handicap accessible and ecofriendly. Thanks to the TBE Green Team and our youth Climate Activists, we offer resources on how to have a green celebration.
Celebrating in Israel
Experience your simcha in Israel amidst ancient landmarks and modern marvels. Connect to our millennia-old heritage on one of our TBE family trips, where our students become b’mitzvah in partnership with our sister congregation in Haifa. Check here for upcoming family trips!
Contact
Rabbi Rachel Saphire
Interested in a privatized Israel b’mitzvah experience? We look forward to supporting your family’s b’mitzvah experience in Israel.
Contact
Cantor Shanna Zell
Learn More
Event Coordinator Kellyn Morrow is here to help assist you with the process. She can answer questions about the space, book your celebration, and recommend wonderful event planners, caterers, and many other vendors who might be a great fit for your event.
Kellyn Morrow
Events Coordinator
781.434.8243
Ask for advice!
Want to talk to a lay leader in our community? Email Cantor Zell and she will put you in touch with our lay leader liaisons for advice on preparing for your child’s b’mitzvah.