""There are two stable legacies that we give to our descendants. One is roots. The other is wings.""
Every person in the community is a person on a journey, trying to reconcile the insights of what it means to be an adult in the world, what it means to belong to the Jewish people in the past and present, and how all of this shapes the future. Our children are also walking this path. The Midrash teaches us that the Torah was given in fire and in "fire" it is supposed to be passed down from person to person, from generation to generation. We seek to plant this fire, which sustains our culture and tradition, in the hearts of the children, while critically and creatively investigating its messages in our day. We invite our children to ask, argue, fall in love and find their voice in the journey through Jewish culture. That opens before their eyes.
The Bat/Bar Mitzvah ceremony is the beginning of a journey, it is a moment of declaration – I have grown up and here I am a partner in the journey as well as a declaration by the community that it is expanding, making room, seeing and hearing the Bat/Bar Mitzvah. The Mitzvah year is the opportunity to examine as an adolescent and as a family what are the circles of identity and belonging to which I am connected and aspire to connect: circles of culture, tradition, social commitment, freedom, belonging to the community and the people, and personal responsibility.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, like all rites of passage, serve to mark a point in time – beyond time – that symbolizes the change between two personal and social states. Each ceremony reflects the beliefs, values, and worldview of the culture in which it takes place. Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies are an opportunity to connect with the values, culture, and great toolbox of Jewish heritage.
The services at BTI combine tradition and innovation, Jewish and Israeli, personal and communal, and are accompanied by singing, music, and dancing.
The ceremonies are led by the community's rabbis and other facilitators, along with professional musicians who have extensive experience in creating a community experience that is open, immersive, and inviting to the general public.
A Bat/Bar Mitzvah celebration at Beit Tefilah Israeli consists of an in-depth learning process, unique personal and family expression, and a significant connection to Jewish tradition and contemporary Israeli culture, in an egalitarian and musical ceremony.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies at BTI are personally tailored to each family and come to bring the family together at the point of contact between Jewish and Israeli identity.
Preparation for the ceremony includes a group class of approximately 8-9 meetings, personal meetings to study the biblical themes, preparation for the sermon and traditional prayers at the ceremony, and meetings with the family to personally design the ceremony and prepare a dedicated arrangement for the ceremony.
We invite you to join us on a journey…
