BAR-BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM
Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is one of the single most important events in the lives of both Jewish children and their parents. The family and the entire Temple Emanu-El community take pride in this important milestone which binds a child to Jewish tradition. By becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the young adult joins the fellowship of Jews who study Torah and perform mitzvot.
At Temple Emanu-El, Bar/Bat Mitzvah is looked upon as a life-cycle event which is celebrated within the framework and context of the congregation's regular service on Shabbat morning, Shabbat afternoon, or weekday morning. The family celebrates its simhah as an integral part of the larger Temple community.
Our Rabbis, our Cantor, our Ritual Director, all of our other staff, and the whole community look forward to sharing the process of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah with our young people and their families! For more information regarding our Bar/Bat Mitzvah program, please contact Cantor Brian Mayer.
Silver Scholar Program
At Temple Emanu-El, we recognize that becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is not simply a one-day celebration: it is an educational process, not just for the honoree, but for his or her whole family. The Samuel and Eva A. Silver Bar/Bat Mitzvah Experience is an important opportunity for Temple Emanu-El students and parents to study together with our clergy and staff, involving a year-and-a-half commitment to learning on scheduled Shabbat mornings and Tuesday afternoons. Over the course of the program, in which we create a community of both day school and religious school families, we provide a welcoming environment where participants of all backgrounds, ages, and stages can ask questions, enhance their Jewish knowledge, and build friendships with fellow students. We strive to show our students that what they learn here in preparation for their Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations impacts not only their entry into Jewish adulthood, but their secular lives as well. We aim to foster a lifelong love for Jewish learning and commitment to mitzvot.
For more information regarding the Samuel and Eva A. Silver Bar/Bat Mitzvah Experience, please contact Paul Stouber, Ritual Director.
Schedule
TUESDAY - 6th graders will meet with Rabbi Babchuck and Cantor Mayer in alternate semesters. Rabbi Babchuck's topics will include Jewish Identity, Israel, Understanding the traditions of our Jewish Texts, and Conservative Judaism. Cantor Mayer's class gives an introduction to the Haftarah blessings and an overview of how to interpret our texts' trope systems.
SHABBAT PROGRAMMING - Our Shabbat programming for 6th and 7th graders and their parents enhance the educational impact of the Silver Scholar Program. These programs will be taught by Rabbi Franklin, Rabbi Babchuck, Cantor Mayer, and Miriam Abrams-Stark.
Click here for a copy of our 6th Grade Silver Scholar curriculum outline and schedule.
Click here for a copy of our 7th grade Silver Scholar curriculum outline and schedule.
FIND PDFS OF MANY HELPFUL DOCUMENTS AS YOU ARE PLANNING YOUR SIMHAH HERE.