Bonei Mitzvahs

B'nei mitzvah as you've never experienced it before! The b'nei mitzvah is a traditional rite of passage providing the child an opportunity to be recognized as an adult member of the community. It is a time of joy and growth for all. At Beth Evergreen, we strive to help every child and family find personal meaning and value in their process. We encourage the creative expression of self-reflection and bringing individual strengths, skills, and interests to the service in many forms, including music, art, and, of course, communal prayer.

We're excited to be introducing a new curriculum for our sixth and seventh grade students and parents anticipating their b'nai mitzvah. The curriculum, developed by Moving Traditions, expands and greatly enhances what we've done in the past. This curriculum focuses on the social, spiritual, and emotional elements of becoming a teenager, including peer pressure, gender norms, self-esteem, and social responsibility. Developed by a team of rabbis, psychologists, and social workers, the program integrates Jewish wisdom into a program specifically designed for the developmental milestones that occur during sixth and seventh grade.

As any parent of a b'nai mitzvah child will tell you either before or after the ceremony, this can be an extraordinarily challenging time in your child's life and yours, and the stress of preparing for the event adds to the mix of the complexities of growing from child, to adolescent, to teenager. This curriculum offers some ideas and exercises that allow you to help your child understand you as well as you getting a clearer picture of what's going on for them. It can help parents better deal with their child as well as helping the child deal with you!