Here are the answers to some common questions asked by the parents of bar/bat mitzvah kids.
Is my child expected to attend Religious School and Hebrew School while training with the Cantor and Rabbi?
Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation is considered to be a part of our overall Religious School curriculum. Regular attendance in Sunday classes at our Religious School, and skill proficiency is required. While our Wednesday Hebrew school is not required after 6th grade, after a Hebrew and Prayer assessment, our Cantor may request that students attend one of the ‘circles of success’ seminars to refresh and review material and prepare students for successful bar/bat mitzvah training. Our standards are high because we have seen our children flourish when they are challenged to meet high expectations. We want them to appreciate the great depth and meaning in Judaism and Jewish life.
What happens during the training sessions with the Cantor and when do these begin?
Approximately eight months prior to the Bar / Bat Mitzvah, the cantor will begin with individual lessons. A recording device should be brought to these sessions and other materials will be assigned and distributed by the cantor. In conjunction with these lessons students are asked to study at home using the recordings and printed materials, and required to attend Shabbat services regularly their parents to reinforce learning through participation.
What is the difference between Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation?
The bar/bat mitzvah is an individual rite of passage that takes place as a child becomes a teenager. It is a milestone in Jewish life and education, but is not the end of formal Jewish learning. Unlike graduation, it is an entrance into deeper involvement in Judaism and Jewish life. Confirmation is the next major step the Jewish lifecycle.
In Reform and Conservative congregations young adults who become bar/bat mitzvah are expected to remain in religious school through confirmation. At BIJ, after the bar/bat mitzvah, students continue in our Teen Program, and are encouraged to become Teachers’ aides. During the tenth grade students attend confirmation class. At the end of the year a celebration is held to mark the culmination of childhood Jewish education.