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
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The Schmooze Drop Everything: Drake Had A ‘Re-Bar Mitzvah’ Party
Little Aubrey Drake Graham turned 31 this week and demonstrated that he is, beyond a reasonable doubt, a man. Rapper Drake rang in 31 (13 if you go the Hebrew-reading direction) with a “Re-Bar Mitzvah” at Poppy in Los Angeles. My bar mitzvah board ? A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Oct 22, 2017…
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Culture What Bar Mitzvahs For Girls Were Like In 1921
Note from translator Chana Pollack: Born in 1885 in Rakow in the Minsk region of Belarus to a family of carpenters, Berl Botwinick, the author of this essay, was the winner of the Forverts’ 1909 story contest, with a piece about Jewish American life entitled “Shabes Morning.” By 1913, Botwinick was a full time employee….
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Life Why Are Some American Jews Opting For Independent Bar Mitzvahs — Outside The Synagogue?
Some people call them “unaffiliated,” some call them “independents,” and others, “off the grid.” They’re the members of the Jewish community who don’t belong to a synagogue, or affiliate with any particular denomination. According to the oft-cited 2013 Pew Study on Jewish Americans, 22% of American Jews consider themselves Jews with no religion (a breakdown…
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Culture How My Bat Mitzvah Turned Me Off Judaism
This is the fifth in a series of essays examining Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in America. On March 25, 1978, the day after my bat mitzvah, I announced to my parents that I was done with Judaism and would never again set foot in a synagogue. Some of my disgust with Hebrew school was no…
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Culture Why 83 Is The New 13 For Bar Mitzvahs
This is the fourth in a series of articles examining Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in America. Jeremy Piven had one. So did the former owner of my pharmacy. And Kirk Douglas had two. Stumped? These men all stepped up to the bimah to have a second bar mitzvah. Not to be confused with the now…
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Culture Do Bar Mitzvahs Prepare Us For Adult Anxiety?
This is the third in a series of essays examining the Bar and Bat Mitzvah in America. A bar mitzvah has many meanings. Mine was simultaneously a religious ceremony, a miniature family reunion, a finish line marking the end of years of Hebrew school and — still, to this day — the largest party ever…
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Culture Why My Bat Mitzvah Was The Happiest Day Of My Life
This is Part 2 in a series of articles examining bar and bat mitzvahs in America. Until the day I married, my bat mitzvah was the happiest day of my life. I realize that makes me an anomaly, or at least a rare species among American Jews, whose bar and bat mitzvah experiences seem freighted…
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Culture Why Do We Obsess About Bar Mitzvah Torah Readings — When There’s Little Textual Basis For Them?
This is part 1 in a series of articles examining the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ritual in America. Few institutions represent the American Jewish community like the bar and bat mitzvah. It would be surprising, given this cultural emphasis, if this ritual turned out to be almost as modern as the elaborate parties that surround…
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