Bar/Bat Mitzvah

B'nai Mitzvah at Sukkat Shalom is a meaningful lifecycle event for the child and family. Sukkat Shalom is an intentionally small congregation which enables us to treat each child as an individual and tailor the program to fit the needs of the families. For some families, a traditional Shabbat service of worship, Torah reading, and D’var Torah will not be fitting. Sukkat Shalom hopes to help each family choose the most meaningful way to mark this important stage of transition from childhood to adulthood. Our goal is to help families celebrate their lifecycle events in appropriate ways, but those ways can be very individual and unique. Most importantly, Sukkat Shalom is a warm and caring community.

Preparation for B'nai Mitzvah begins after achieving basic Hebrew competency through our Hebrew Program or through our private tutoring. Each child then has the opportunity for five-six months to meet once a week with our Director of Liturgical Music and Pastoral Care, Kenneth Lyonswright, and then with Rabbi Immerman or Rabbi Tick Brill to prepare for the honor of chanting from the Torah and delivering a D’var Torah (explanation for the Torah portion) as part of a Shabbat worship service. Each child also engages in a mitzvah project that helps them bring value to this important celebration.