BPY proudly completed the annual bar and bat mitzvah programs, providing students with meaningful opportunities to explore their identities, strengthen their connection to Jewish tradition and embrace this significant milestone.
Bar Mitzvah Program
For three sessions, the seventh-grade boys engaged in thoughtful discussions and activities:
The Significance of Names: Reflecting on the Mishna about the three names we carry—those given by parents, peers and the ones we earn for ourselves—helped students explore their identity and aspirations.
Tefillin Workshop: A father-son learning session included a captivating demonstration of the process of making tefillin, deepening appreciation for this sacred mitzvah.
The Role of a Minyan: The final session highlighted the responsibility and connection of being part of a minyan, concluding with reflections on all they had learned.
The program left a profound impact, with students sharing how meaningful the experience was. Its success even drew the attention of the World Zionist Organization, which invited students to present at their upcoming emissaries’ conference.
Bat Mitzvah Program
Led by Morot Renana and Dina, the sixth-grade girls participated in a dynamic three-session program:
Exploring Identity: Discussing the significance of their names and creating personalized identity-themed cookies to represent their unique qualities and goals.
Lessons from Sarah Imeinu: Together with their mothers, the girls studied the midrash about Sarah Imeinu’s tent and how to bring positivity into their homes. The session ended with a hafrashat challah ceremony and challah-braiding for Shabbat.
The Light of Shabbat: In the final session, the girls designed wooden birkat hadlakat neirot plaques as gifts for their mothers, adding personal messages of love and gratitude.
A Shared Journey of Growth and Learning
Both programs were filled with moments of learning, creativity and connection. They offered students the chance to deepen their understanding of Jewish values while celebrating with family and community.
