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
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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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Fast Forward Harvey Weinstein Talks Bar Mitzvah And Quotes Jay-Z In Rambling Pseudo-Apology
Oscar-winning movie producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday responded to bombshell allegations of sexual harassment by mentioning his bar mitzvah, blasting the gun lobby and President Trump — and quoting rapper Jay-Z in a rambling statement. He later threatened to sue the New York Times over the report. “I am going to need a place to…
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The Schmooze Top 5 TV Bar Mitzvah Moments, Inspired By Hulu’s ‘Difficult People’
This week, Hulu’s Difficult People starred Marilyn (the firebrand mother figure, played by Andrea Martin), throwing herself a Bat Mitzvah. Which we found pretty inspiring. In honor of this momentous occasion, we decided it’s time to do a wrap-up of the five best bar mitzvah moments on TV. Because, yes, in the goldeneh medinah, anything…
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Fast Forward Holocaust Survivor Celebrates Bar Mitzvah In Israel, 80 Years Later
HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) – Eighty years after he missed the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Shalom Shtamberg celebrated his bar mitzvah on Thursday with his family and friends in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Shtamberg was born in Warsaw, Poland, and should have celebrated his bar mitzvah when he turned 13, but instead…
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Fast Forward 93-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Celebrates Bar Mitzvah — 80 Years Late
Eighty years after he missed the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Shalom Shtamberg celebrated his bar mitzvah on Thursday with his family and friends in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Shtamberg was born in Warsaw, Poland, and should have celebrated his bar mitzvah when he turned 13, but instead he was taken to…
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News He Thought Hurricane Harvey Washed Out His Bar Mitzvah — Then This Happened
Adam Buchsbaum had been preparing for his bar mitzvah for months. But with Hurricane Harvey lashing his hometown of Houston last Saturday, the boy’s temple closed its building and cancelled all services — including his coming-of-age ceremony. The Buchsbaum family was devastated when they found out Congregation Beth Israel had closed — and resigned themselves to…
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Culture Why I Regret My Daughters’ Bat Mitzvahs
I have a friend who has an 11 year old son. He’s your typical great kid – smart, athletic, polite. And he has a Bar Mitzvah date set for two years from now. This is my friend’s first foray into the Bar Mitzvah world and she’s jumping in feet first. She’s looking to make a…
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Culture How My Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah Almost Didn’t Happen
Our daughter stood on the bimah facing the congregation, cradling a Torah nearly half her size. She chanted the Shema, loud and strong, filling the airy synagogue. Her song stirred reflections on assimilation and annihilation, the twin threats to Judaism of the long 20th century, and on the narrow and winding path my family traveled…
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