Adult B'nai Mitzvah
Adult B'nai Mitzvah Class
Raised as a Reform Jew before girls were allowed to read Torah from the bimah, I had no
idea how transformational it would be to stand before the congregation and raise my voice.
The class started me on a spiritual journey that actively continues to this day.
- 2008 B'nai Mitzvah Student
The concept of a Bar Mitzvah ceremony, the coming-of-age ritual for boys, can probably be traced back to the 14th Century. The first known girl in the US to become a Bat Mitzvah was Judith Kaplan, daughter of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan in March 1922. In most Conservative and Reform synagogues it is now a standard practice to have both Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. At TI, we also have "Kabbalat Mitzvah" for those who do not want a ceremony associated with a specific gender.
Since the early 1970’s, the role of women in TI synagogue ritual has steadily expanded. In 1990 the first adult Bat Mitzvah class was formed under Cynthia Peterman. Madeline Nesse took over the Anshei Mitzvah (Adult B’nai Mitzvah) class and coordinated it through May 2006. Since then, Rabbi Avis Miller taught three adult Bat Mitzvah classes, the most recent one culminating with a Shabbat ceremony in 2014.
TI continued the Adult B'nai Mitzvah tradition with a new series in the Spring of 2019. The class was taught by Rabbi Avis Miller of the Open Dor Foundation, along with TI member Janet Nesse, who supplemented class discussions with instruction in Hebrew and Torah chanting. It included people who never had a ceremony and those who had a ceremony as a young person but wish to study and understand our tradition as adults. The class covered Jewish beliefs, ethics, liturgy, holidays and life cycle events. Participants shared ideas and life experiences in class discussions, as they gained knowledge and skills, and met new companions for their Jewish journey.
Sun, December 3 2023
20 Kislev 5784
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Monday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2023Parashat Hashavua Class-cancelled
Monday, Dec 4th 11:00a
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Monday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2023Hebrew Fiction Group
Monday, Dec 4th 1:00p
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Thursday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2023Intermediate Hebrew-Beginning Tanach
Thursday, Dec 7th 10:30a
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Friday ,
DecDecember 8 , 2023Kabbalat Shabbat & Maariv
Friday, Dec 8th 6:00p
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2023Mishna with Rabbi Werbow
Shabbat, Dec 9th 8:15a
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2023Shabbat Morning Services
Shabbat, Dec 9th 9:00a
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2023
Shabbat, Dec 9th 10:15a
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2023Junior Minyan
Shabbat, Dec 9th 10:15a
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2023Tot Shabbat
Shabbat, Dec 9th 11:00a
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2023Mini Minyan
Shabbat, Dec 9th 11:00a