The Board of Trustees of Congregation Kehilat Shalom has recently passed specific policies with regard to b'nai mitzvahs. These policies and practices over-ride any policies previously published in the b'nai mitzvah booklet entitled "A Rite of Passage Through the Threshold of Adulthood" from September, 2006. As always, and as can be seen by the policies listed below, families and their child(ren) may have individualized their specific ritual and ceremony with the Rabbi.


1. The Rabbi has the final authority over the ritual responsibilities of the B'nai Mitzvah child.
2. The Rabbi has ultimate authority in assigning dates and times for B'nai Mitzvah services. Our office administrator will draw up a tentative schedule for each year; it will go to the Rabbi for approval/changes before dates are given to families. Any change in the schedule must be approved by the Rabbi.
3. The Shacharit service is the "default" service for B'nai Mitzvah. If a child’s capabilities are felt to be limited, his/her responsibilities in the Shacharit service can be modified by the Rabbi. The fact that a child’s capabilities are limited does NOT mean that they should be encouraged or instructed to have a Minchah service. Families wishing to have a Minchah service should discuss this with the Rabbi.
4. There will be no B'nai Mitzvahs scheduled during July, August, the 2 weeks before High Holidays, and the 1 week after High Holidays going forward.
5. B'nai Mitzvahs will only be routinely scheduled 2 years in advance. If a family has a special need that requires scheduling earlier they can meet with the Rabbi to discuss this.
6. B'nai Mitzvahs will only be scheduled on Saturdays.
7. Minimum age for B'nai Mitzvah is 12 ½ (this means both boys and girls alike).

Should you have specific questions concerning these policies, please feel free to contact the Rabbi or me (as the B'nai Mitzvah liaison).

Shelley Parish Nord

Labels: policies

navigating the Bible II - online bar/bat mitzvah tutor

This July, I volunteered to be the B'nai Mitzvah liaison between families whose child (children) will be b'nai mitzvah in the upcoming years and the officials of the synagogue including the Rabbi, the Religion Committee and the various tutors (Kate Fridkis and Ed Lacher). I am joined in this process by Meryl Orlando who will be helping organize the more social aspects of the process including the *helpers* and helper families for the b'nai mitzvah event.

I will be reaching out to each family who is in the midst of the process to make this experience a joyful one and to make the road to it less difficult for all involved. Of course, feel free to call me directly with any issues or concerns you may have no matter how small or how large.

If your child has begun the process, you should have received a copy of the current guidelines entitled "A Rite of Passage Through the Threshold of Adulthood". If you have not, please let me know and I will see to it that you receive a copy. As always, the policies contained therein are not static and will be thoroughly reviewed by the Religion Committee and the Rabbi.

We are also trying to regularize the tutoring process with Kate and Ed and have their schedules of tutoring appointments co-ordinated by the synagogue office. To that end, should there be any scheduling issues........in addition to speaking to Kate or Ed, please also contact Robin in the office so that scheduling conflicts do not arise.

We are compiling a list of student tutors that will be available for additional help with reading and reciting Hebrew. Let me know if you feel your child could use some extra help and we will arrange for it.

As more information becomes available on the process, I will post it here.

Shelley Parish Nord
B'nai Mitzvah Liaison

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