B’Mitzvah

B’Mitzvah is the celebration of our youngest members being called to Torah and embracing their place as a Jewish leader and Jewish adult. We firmly believe that the Bat/Bar/Brit (girl/boy/gender neutral) Mitzvah is a major moment on a person’s Jewish journey, but not the end— rather, it’s one important step along the path of Jewish learning and engagement.

At Temple Beth Am, we celebrate Shabbat as a full community, where one or two students are called to Torah as Bat/Bar/Brit Mitzvah. Rather than it being a private life cycle event or Havdallah service, at Temple Beth Am, all b’nai mitzvahs occur on Saturday mornings so our young people can be celebrated by our entire community during our Shabbat worship service.

The path to B’Mitzvah begins with at least two years of learning as part of our Youth Learning program for PreK-12th Grade, family involvement, and student engagement in Jewish youth life.

We first assign dates during the 5th grade year, support families in 6th grade, and students formally begin working with clergy and pre-approved tutors around 6-8 months prior to the Shabbat that each student leads.

Post-B’Mitzvah, it is our full expectation that all students and their families will remain active in Jewish life through The Gan, NFTY, URJ Camps, student trips, and other ways to connect to Jewish community. B’Mitzvah is not the end of one’s Jewish learning; if anything, it’s just the beginning.

To better understand the B’Mitzvah Program at Temple Beth Am, please read the B’Mitzvah Guide or schedule time to meet with staff or clergy by emailing our B’Mitzvah Rabbinic lead, Rabbi Debbie Massarano at rabbidebbie@templebetham.org.