This is the Forward’s coverage of b’nai mitzvah (also called bat mitzvahs for girls and bar mitzvahs for boys), Jewish coming-of-age ceremonies typically done at age 13.
B’nai Mitzvah
The Latest
-
Life Why Did Orthodox Mayor Kill Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for Disabled?
You’d have to be made of stone to remain unmoved by the special bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies run Israeli children with disabilities At the event I attended a few years back, four boys and girls, dressed in their finest clothes, most in wheelchairs, others standing and walking, guided by family members took their place…
-
The Schmooze Luckiest Kid in the World Gets Nicki Minaj to Perform at Bar Mitzvah
Some bar mitzvah boys . Others skip the drama and just invite Nicki Minaj. A New York City teen named Matt had the party of the century this weekend, when the singer, dressed in a black Herve Leger dress and Balmain cage sandals, showed up on stage to surprise his tweenage friends with a (hora-autotuned?)…
-
Culture How To Navigate the Federal Bar Mitzvah Exchange Marketplace
Welcome to the federal bar/bat mitzvah marketplace, where we will make sure that your child gets the ritual adulthood celebration that he or she deserves. Please note that every American Jewish child aged 13 must receive a bar/bat mitzvah or else the family will face a severe financial penalty that even the savviest accountant won’t…
-
Fast Forward Bat Mitzvah Girl Dies in Thailand Ferry Fire
A 12-year-old girl from Israel was the lone fatality in a fire aboard a ferry in Thailand, where her family took her as a bat mitzvah present. The remaining 116 passengers, including the girl’s parents and brother, were rescued from the fire that erupted aboard the Ao Nang Princess 5 tourist ferry on Wednesday, according…
-
Fast Forward Arizona Yoga Instructor Busted for Sex at Bar Mitzvah
A 32-year-old woman was arrested for alleged sex crimes at a bar mitzvah in Scottsdale, Ariz. Lindsey Ann Radomski reportedly exposed her breasts to several guests at a bar mitzvah party before engaging in oral sex with a 15-year-old boy, Azcentral.com reported. Radomski, who was charged with sexual abuse and sexual conduct with a minor,…
-
News My Big Fat Irish Bar Mitzvah
I made my first visit to Ireland more than 30 years ago. When I had married John a few months earlier, I had also wed his Celtic heritage, and was no longer a Goldberg, in name at least. My “Jewishness” became something that it was detected by no one but me. We went to a…
-
Fast Forward Copenhagen Girl Whose Bat Mitzvah Was Marred by Terror Is Feted in Israel
The bat mitzvah girl whose celebration in Copenhagen ended abruptly after the shooting death of a volunteer synagogue guard was feted in Israel. Hannah Bentow, 13, on Sunday night in Jerusalem had a ceremony and a dance party for girls and women with a DJ. The party took place at the headquarters of the Matan…
-
The Schmooze Video Killed the Bar Mitzvah Boy
(JTA) — Another slick bar mitzvah invitation video of questionable taste has gone viral. This time it’s for the impending bar mitzvah of Brody Criz, whose invitation consists of him starring in a Jew-ified medley of pop-song parodies — including one of “Blurred Lines,” the song to which Miley Cyrus famously twerked. Fortunately, Criz doesn’t twerk,…
Most Popular
- 1
News No Jews allowed: White supremacists are building a segregated community in Arkansas, but is it legal?
- 2
News Zohran Mamdani has represented Astoria’s Jews for 4 years. What do they think of him?
- 3
News Curtis Sliwa has a plan to beat Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayor’s race — and it starts with apologizing to Jews
- 4
News What Zohran Mamdani has actually said about Jews, Israel and antisemitism
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Melbourne protesters chant ‘Death to the IDF’ days after attacks on local synagogue, Israeli restaurant
-
News He wrote the book on American Jewish history. Stepping back from teaching, Jonathan Sarna says he has plenty of chapters still to go.
-
Fast Forward Trump says he didn’t know antisemitic history of ‘Shylock’ when he criticized bankers using the term
-
Fast Forward Most New Yorkers deterred by Zohran Mamdani’s support for Israel boycott, but 1 in 3 see it as a boon, poll shows
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism