The Bar/Bat Mitzvah year is a very special one at Temple Emeth. Students approaching the age of thirteen are preparing to mark their passage into Jewish adulthood, with all the privileges and responsibilities of that new status.

Temple Emeth offers orientation sessions for sixth graders and their parents – an opportunity to study together and gain a better understanding of what it means to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

During the seventh grade Bar/Bat Mitzvah year, Rabbi Turetz meets with each individual student and family. Students are tutored by our Cantor Educator Michael McCloskey and other clergy. Cantor Michael also works with each student to choose and complete a mitzvah project during the year. Additionally, students may participate in JChoice, an organization that promotes and encourages acts of Tzedakah by Jewish youth and connects Bnai Mitzvah around the world.

Each child has his or her own day to be called to the Torah, to chant the Haftorah, and to include family members and friends among the participants in the service. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah also prepares a D’var Torah (speech) in which he/she talks about the meaning of that week’s Haftorah portion and its contemporary impact upon his/her life.