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Category: Regular programs

Study, Community, Regular programs

Training of ceremony leaders and community leaders

Training community facilitators and entrepreneurs

A course in facilitating Shabbat receptions and community entrepreneurship to train leaders of Israeli Jewish communities.

In light of the expansion of the Israeli House of Prayer activity throughout the country, we are looking for additional pairs of facilitators who will integrate into the roles of guiding and leading ceremonies on Shabbats and holidays and will establish community projects in their place of residence. 

For those interested in developing community life in their place of residence around Shabbats, holidays, and Israeli Jewish culture.

» For those interested in leading and facilitating Shabbat receptions and ceremonies in the community, town, city, neighborhood, campus or organization, in the spirit of an Israeli house of prayer.

» For experienced prayer and ceremony leaders who are interested in learning the language of prayer and ceremony of an Israeli house of prayer and specializing in it.

At the end of the course, each pair of graduates will be given the opportunity to present a community project and the possibility of competing for project funding and professional guidance. 


» Musical ability – (in singing and/or playing a musical instrument) an advantage.

We believe in collaborative and circular leadership and encourage establishing projects in pairs rather than individually. (Pairs can also be based in the course itself)

 

The course is led and supervised by Rabbi Esteban Gottfried and Rabbi Dr. Rani Yager, founders and leaders of an Israeli prayer house - and guest lecturers include: Rabbi Dr. Michael Marmor, Rabbi Shai Zarchi, Rabbi Tamar Elad - Applebaum, Prof. Avigdor Shanan, Athaliah Lavie, Rabbi Uri Kreuzer, Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan, Rabbi Galit Cohen Kedem, Idan Gavish and more.

Due to the Corona crisis, the course date has been postponed and an alternative date has not yet been set. Please leave your details and we will update you when registration opens.

» A member of the household in the Jewish-Israeli cultural world
» Charisma, expressiveness, eloquence and ability to stand in front of an audience
» Shabbat Joy, Openness and Creativity
» Introduction and interest in the world of Jewish prayer
» Leadership and management skills
» Excellent interpersonal skills and community approach
» Pluralistic worldview
» Experience in supervision – an advantage

Regular programs

Bat and Bar Mitzvah Programs

Bar and Bat Mitzvah at Beit Tefilah Israeli

""There are two stable legacies that we give to our descendants. One is roots. The other is wings.""

Hodding Carter Jr.

The year of the Bat and Bar Mitzvah is a journey for the individual and the family. 

 

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.

Mutual Declaration 

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.

Point in time 

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.

So what is special about a Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremony at Beit Tefilah Israeli?

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…

For more details, registration and appointment scheduling