This practical guide gives families the how-to information
they need not only how to navigate the bar/bat mitzvah process, but
how to grow as a family through this coming-of-age experience. For the
first time in one book, all who are directly involved in bar and bat
mitzvah offer their practical insights into how the process can be
made easier and more enjoyable for everyone. Rabbis, cantors, and
Jewish educators from the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist
movements, parents, and even teens speak from their own experiences.
Topics include:
What it s all about from start to finish, tutoring, stress,
expectations, negotiating the ceremony and the celebration (including
issues related to divorced and interfaith families), how to design a
creative service, and advice on planning a reception that neither
breaks the bank nor detracts from the inherent spirituality of the
event. A practical companion to Putting God on the Guest List.
Helen Leneman is a cantor in Rockville, Md., whose specialty
is barmitzvah education. She is Chair of the CAJE (Coalition for the
Advancement of Jewish Education) B nai Mitzvah Educators Network and
is the author of BarMitzvah Education: A Sourcebook.