B'nai Mitzvah Revolution
There’s been a revolution happening at our synagogue. Not the loud radical kind, but one designed to greatly enhance a key milestone in Jewish tradition–the bar/bat mitzvah. As part of the Reform Movement’s “B’nai Mitzvah Revolution” taking place in synagogues across the country, CSR has been actively conducting a serious reexamination of our own. For the past six months, a cross-functional task force comprised of fellow congregants, clergy, educators, and co-chairs Jackie Kabot and Jeff Cammisa, have been meeting every month to explore innovative ways to revolutionize the b’nai mitzvah experience.
Our project, known as “Raising the Bar,” is a name that literally plays off the task force’s objective of promoting life-long affiliation with CSR, beginning pre-b’nai mitzvah and inspiring an ongoing commitment to Jewish life and learning. To echo this, Rabbi Leora Frankel who is helping spearhead the project observes that, “our (task force’s) goal is to look at ways to meaningfully engage many of our b’nai mitzvah and their parents in the years leading up to and following this special moment in time.”
The task force has conducted a number of brainstorming activities that include identifying the value tensions that often create conflict for b’nai mitzvah students and their families; looking at innovative ways to personalize the b’nai mitzvah service; and examining the effectiveness of the brit (the covenantal agreement that families sign) while exploring ways to enhance its significance. The group has also conducted extensive field research with synagogues from New Jersey to Arizona to see how they are tackling many of the same issues and to discover new and creative best practices we might adopt for the future.
Cantor Melanie Cooperman sums up what this all means by observing, “Some families may not be benefiting from the process as much as they could be; many times they may be more tied to the logistics of getting through the process.” The task force is committed to changing this dynamic and elevating the entire bar/bat mitzvah experience so that it paves the way for lifelong Jewish engagement. Ask any “Raising the Bar” member what success looks like to them, and you’ll get a similar answer: to see more students participating in our CSR Teens programs post-b’nai mitzvah, families more involved in the ongoing fabric of our community, and a greater sense of meaning surrounding the whole process. In the near future, we look forward to sharing some of the specific innovations we are considering for the coming years. For more information, contact Rabbi Frankel.
Our project, known as “Raising the Bar,” is a name that literally plays off the task force’s objective of promoting life-long affiliation with CSR, beginning pre-b’nai mitzvah and inspiring an ongoing commitment to Jewish life and learning. To echo this, Rabbi Leora Frankel who is helping spearhead the project observes that, “our (task force’s) goal is to look at ways to meaningfully engage many of our b’nai mitzvah and their parents in the years leading up to and following this special moment in time.”
The task force has conducted a number of brainstorming activities that include identifying the value tensions that often create conflict for b’nai mitzvah students and their families; looking at innovative ways to personalize the b’nai mitzvah service; and examining the effectiveness of the brit (the covenantal agreement that families sign) while exploring ways to enhance its significance. The group has also conducted extensive field research with synagogues from New Jersey to Arizona to see how they are tackling many of the same issues and to discover new and creative best practices we might adopt for the future.
Cantor Melanie Cooperman sums up what this all means by observing, “Some families may not be benefiting from the process as much as they could be; many times they may be more tied to the logistics of getting through the process.” The task force is committed to changing this dynamic and elevating the entire bar/bat mitzvah experience so that it paves the way for lifelong Jewish engagement. Ask any “Raising the Bar” member what success looks like to them, and you’ll get a similar answer: to see more students participating in our CSR Teens programs post-b’nai mitzvah, families more involved in the ongoing fabric of our community, and a greater sense of meaning surrounding the whole process. In the near future, we look forward to sharing some of the specific innovations we are considering for the coming years. For more information, contact Rabbi Frankel.