Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
News

Masks are the new kippahs: Customized face-coverings sweep bar and bat mitzvahs

Custom masks bat mitzvah

Custom masks made for a bat mitzvah during COVID-19.

Masks are the new kippah, said Chavie Knapp, a mother who is giving out customized masks instead of yarmulkes at her daughter Sophie’s bat mitzvah.

“Masks have become the new normal,” said Knapp, whose daughter’s big day is planned for Labor Day weekend in Teaneck, N.J.

COVID-19 has forced cancellations and postponements of countless events, including bar and bat mitzvahs. Some people, however, have decided to forge ahead with their plans, especially in places where infection rates have dropped. Now those families must navigate event organization during a pandemic that requires several safety measures — and masks are one of them.

Man wearing custom mask at bar mitzvah

Bar mitzvah guest wears custom mask printed with party logo. Image by Cutie Patootie Creations

“I would have never thought I would be making masks,” said Stephanie Feldman, owner of Cutie Patootie Creations, an event design studio specializing in bar/bat mitzvahs, “but masks have been really, super popular.”

Feldman started adapting her business in March, when widespread lockdowns started. Custom masks printed with bar and bat mitzvah logos have been among Feldman’s most successful new offerings.

Knapp, who is throwing an outdoor, socially-distanced party, sees the custom masks she bought as more than just “really, really cute.”

“The masks make us feel like we’re doing our diligence in terms of making sure that everybody has one, whether or not they came prepared,” said Knapp.

Custom bar and bat mitzvah masks

Custom masks printed with bar and bat mitzvah logos. Image by Cutie Patootie Creations

Rachel Prero, whose daughter Naava’s bat mitzvah is set for Labor Day weekend in Cleveland, bought custom lilac and silver, “Naava’s Bat Mitzvah” masks to match her daughter’s party colors. Both a safety measure and a 2020 upgrade to bat mitzvah gear, Prero considers masks to be a “crucial” element of throwing the party.

“It’s really pretty, and especially since the kids will be going back to school where they’ll be needing to wear masks, it’ll be another option for them to wear,” said Prero.

According to event designer Feldman, the power of the customized mask lies in its transformation of a safety precaution into a point of connection and an additional way to celebrate.

“I think the parents and the kids worry that it’s not going to be meaningful, that it’s not going to be fun,” Feldman said, “but parents will mail the masks to their guests to wear over Zoom and people wear them at the event. It makes everyone feel like they’re really part of the celebration.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.