B'nai Mitzvah
A bar or bat mitzvah is the public recognition that a boy or girl has become a responsible adult member of the Jewish community. Bar/bat mitzvah students undergo rigorous training that includes acquiring the skills to lead parts of the Friday night and Saturday morning services, study of each other’s torah portions, and the joy of performing mitzvoth. Bar and bat mitzvah students are trained through hands on learning, participation in the Saturday morning service and in our Tuesday Ivrit program, and one-on-one tutoring. The bar/bat mitzvah class learns the importance of doing mitzvah by joining our youth group and our social action committee for tikkun olam [world repair] projects around the community. The bar/bat mitzvah ceremony is takes place during the Temple Beth-El Saturday morning service and is celebrated along with the community. The entire congregation looks forward to sharing the joy as our children become young adults.
There are also opportunities for adults who wish to celebrate a bar or bat mitzvahs as well as for those celebrating the anniversary of their bar or bat mitzvah.
Grade 7 Class
The 7th grade Bar/Bat Mitzvah class meets on Saturday mornings and provides the class with skills to lead parts of the Friday night and Shabbat morning services. Periodically, students and parents meet together to study relevant topics with the rabbi.
Our B'nai Mitzvah students also study Hebrew on Tuesday afternoons.
Hebrew
Students continue to expand their knowledge of prayers and blessings. Using the text book Sefatai Tiftah Volume 3 and their siddurim [prayer books], students review and reinforce the prayers from the Torah service. Material from Sefatai Tiftah is reinforced with on-line homework. In addition, students continue their study of Modern, Israeli, Hebrew. Hebrew concepts and holiday vocabulary continue to be reinforced and expanded.
Requirements
In order to be accepted at the age of twelve years for Bar or Bat Mitzvah training, a child must have completed at least 5 years of Hebrew Jewish education, or their equivalent. To be a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Temple Beth-El, a child must currently attend our Religious/Hebrew School, or a Hebrew Day School, and Hebrew/Religious School attendance continue during and after Bar or Bat Mitzvah training.
Families with children with special learning needs, or families with exceptional circumstances, should meet with the Rabbi to discuss acceptable alternative arrangements for their child’s Jewish/Hebrew education.
Service Etiquette
Please see Worship->Etiquette for more information.
Calendar
To get access to our school calendar, please contact our Education Director at 845-454-0570 or education@tbeny.org.
Schedule
Ivrit school meets Tuesday afternoons.