B Mitzvah
Building community and actualizing the vision of a coming-of age experience for each individual and family.
We believe:
It is important to mark major life transitions.
There is deep value in marking young peoples’ coming-of-age. Our young people are coming to terms with themselves, accelerating the process of self-discovery, and grappling with how they interact with the world around them.
Coming-of-age experiences should feel appropriate for the person having them.
Marking coming-of-age can look different for different people. Individuals who are coming-of-age should have agency in their coming-of-age experience. One size does not fit all.
Jewish learning on a deeper level is a fundamental component of this experience.
There is rich wisdom within Jewish tradition. Studying and grappling with that wisdom is crucial for a young Jew when they come of age. We come from a tradition of questioning and it is important for young people to have a safe space to question their tradition and to wrestle with how that it is integrated in their lives. The ceremony should represent the capstone of a rigorous process of learning and discovery, so that the young person emerges from their learning and discovery process different than how they started.
Life does not happen alone in a vacuum, it happens with community.
Coming-of-age is not something that one can do alone—a community of loving, connected, present people welcome the young person into community. While it is the individual becoming a bat/bar mitzvah, it is a moment in time that involves the whole family and their relationship and commitment to Judaism. The connection between the young person and a trusted, knowledgeable mentor can catalyze deep self-discovery that benefits the young person and the broader community.
The experience of becoming B Mitzvah at SIJCC is patterned after our approach.
It includes:
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One-on-one mentorship with a skilled mentor who guides the student through their learning goals and helps them prepare for the culminating experience.
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Culminating experience in which the student demonstrates their learning and readiness to enter this next phase of communal life. For some students, this looks like reading from the Torah during a service and for others it looks very different. We are open to a wide variety of culminating experiences that fit within our approach.
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Family meetings led by SIJCC to plan and prepare for the B Mitzvah experience.
Make it stand out.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
