Becoming bat/bar/b’nei mitzvah is a bold step in joining the 3,000-year conversation about living Jewishly.

The Adult B’nei Mitzvah Program at Central provides an intimate and supportive community for students to study liturgy, Hebrew, trope (Torah chanting), and write a d’var Torah, or teaching, with our Clergy. Participants forge close bonds with one another and Central Clergy in a powerful and empowering experience of reading from the Torah in our Sanctuary. All members who have not yet gone through the ritual of bat/bar/b’nei mitzvah are eligible for this program. We expect to begin another cohort in fall 2023. If you'd like to be added to our interest list, please contact Lori Dubin.

When a child is called to the Torah for the first time, it is a simcha, a joy, for the entire community. The bat/bar/b’nei mitzvah calls upon our young adults to read and teach from the Torah and touches on our physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual selves in the most meaningful of ways as we recognize a young person’s entrance into adulthood. Central’s cantors, rabbis, and tutors work closely with families in this process, ensuring each mitzvah is special and deeply meaningful.

Requirements for becoming bar/bat/b’nei mitzvah at Central Synagogue

• Bat/bar/b’nei mitzvah is only open to members of Central Synagogue.
• Students are required to have at least four years of participation in our religious school the Lese Center for Living Judaism (LCLJ), beginning by the third grade, and continuing through the school year of their bat/bar/b’nei mitzvah. (Students who join the LCLJ later than the third grade may require additional tutoring in Hebrew beyond that offered by our B’nei Mitzvah Program.)
• Students must fulfill all religious school requirements, including regular attendance, participation, and completion of work.
• Students are expected to attend services regularly: at least five times per year during 4th, 5th and 6th grades, and at least seven times per year during the 7th grade year.
• All b’nei mitzvah students are expected to complete the social justice unit in their 6th grade year at the LCLJ.

Confirmation

After becoming a b’nei mitzvah, students continue their studies in Confirmation class. Central Synagogue was one of the first synagogues to confirm its teenagers. Students reconfirm their commitment to a life of Jewish learning in their 10th-grade year of study with Rabbis Ari Lorge and Rebecca Rosenthal. Our Confirmation class leads our community in our Erev Shavuot service. Learn more about 10th-grade Confirmation, as well as our 8th- and 9th-grade curricula at our LCLJ Curriculum page.

Are you a member interested in renting a room at Central to celebrate your simcha (joyous event)? Visit our Room Rental page to learn more.

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