Life Cycle Events at Beth Israel
BECOMING A BAR/BAT MITZVAH
A B'nai Mitzvah is more than an event — it is a celebration of becoming a Jewish adult in the Beth Israel community. Bar and Bat Mitzvah preparation begins the day your child enters our Religious School. Our special programs, activities, and learning opportunities mark this transition, as our children become Jewish teenagers and take their place in our community.
We regard the B'nai Mitzvah ceremony as a supreme religious occasion, the moment when a boy or girl assumes the adult obligations of Judaism for the first time in his or her life. We believe it to be a moment of public declaration of loyalty — loyalty to God, Torah and the Jewish people; a fulfillment of the ideals and dreams of parents and grandparents, teachers and clergy.
BRIT MILAH/BABY NAMINGS
At Beth Israel, we see baby namings and britot (plural of bris) as opportunities to create new Jewish paths for our growing families and can help connect you to blessings and resources for home or for congregational ceremonies. We hope to join with you and all members of your family to help shape a Jewish ritual for your baby that will mark his or her entry into the world and our community with meaning and purpose.
WEDDINGS
We see each and every Jewish wedding as not only an opportunity to create a vibrant and festive ceremony, but also as a chance to begin two individual’s commitment to a vibrant and festive Jewish home. We recognize the wide variety of Jewish practice that exists and will work with each couple to help them articulate what kind of a Judaism they hope to develop and grow in their marriage and home.
