Speed Bat Mitzvahs

News from the World Union for Progressive Judaism:

ISRAELI CONGREGATION BRINGS THE RELIGIOUS BAT MITZVAH TO SECULAR PUPILS

Congregation Ohel Avraham of Haifa recently held a group bat mitzvah ceremony for the girls of two sixth grade classes at the city's Tchernichovsky Elementary School. The ceremony followed a six-week preparatory course at the school and included individual blessings from Rabbi Saar Shaked, and class presentations of songs, skits and poems that focused on Jewish identity and the tradition of the bar and bat mitzvah. The girls’ parents affirmed their love and support, and the evening concluded with a group recitation of the Shehechianu blessing. In Israel, boys – even those from secular families - generally undergo a synagogue bar mitzvah, while girls usually mark their coming of age with no more than a party or family trip. In implementing the bat mitzvah program, Ohel Avraham has joined a growing number of congregations that are introducing secular Israelis to Progressive Judaism by introducing their children to the concept of the religious bat mitzvah (see WUPJnews #143). The Leo Baeck Education Center, home to Ohel Avraham, is currently holding talks to establish bar/bat mitzvah curricula at four additional neighborhood schools next year.