Location, location, location – it matters in real estate and it matters to some young people coming of age. Four local teens – Megan Andreasson, Corey Fox, Abby Hirschman and Josh Kazdan – all opted to become bat or bar mitzvah somewhere other than at their respective congregations.

Megan went to Israel with her family, where she became bat mitzvah atop Mount Masada last Thanksgiving Day. Corey chose to mark his coming of age at Camp Sabra in the Lake of the Ozarks, where he says he “feels most like a Jew.” Abby recently returned from her bat mitzvah at Birch Trail Camp in northwestern Wisconsin. In August, Josh will travel to Israel, where he will become bar mitzvah at a section of the Western Wall set aside for the Conservative movement.

Rabbis leading the congregations attended by three of the teens have been in on the planning for the respective ceremonies. That said, even they might agree with Rabbi James Bennett of Congregation Shaare Emeth, who always strongly encourages families planning a “destination” bar or bat mitzvah to schedule a local service as well.

When consulted about options for the ceremonies, Bennett is forthright. “My personal approach is to strongly encourage families to celebrate their child’s becoming a bar or bat mitzvah with their community, with their synagogue, with their family and friends, at home,” says Bennett.

Some 21 family members and friends from Congregation Temple Israel accompanied Megan Andreasson, 13, to Israel last Thanksgiving. Rabbi Mark Shook (now rabbi emeritus) led the group and officiated at Megan’s bat mitzvah.

“My parents, my brothers, my grandmother, some of my aunts and uncles, my cousin and some congregants were all there,” says Megan. “It seemed more meaningful to me to become bat mitzvah in Israel, because it’s where our ancestors lived.”

An eighth grader at Sullivan Middle School, Megan is the daughter of Rachel Andreasson, the executive vice president of marketing at Wallis Companies in Cuba, Mo., and Thomas Andreasson, who works for Exxon Mobil Corp. Megan’s brothers, Tyler and Jacob, are 15 and 10. Megan likes to play basketball, soccer and track. The family lives in Sullivan, Mo., which straddles the borders of Franklin and Crawford counties.

“We spent 10 days in Israel, and it was so beautiful on top of Mount Masada,” Megan recalls. “It was a really cool experience, and then I had a party with my friends when we got back home.”

On July 31, 2009, Corey Fox became bar mitzvah at Camp Sabra at Lake of the Ozarks, the first teen to do so at the camp. Rabbi David Gerber, a camp rabbi, officiated when Rabbi Howard Kaplansky – the family’s rabbi at United Hebrew Congregation – couldn’t make the trip.

“When I was working on my mitzvah project, raising money for scholarships to Camp Sabra, the director talked to me about holding the service there,” says Corey, 14, who has attended the camp for seven summers. “I have a special connection to camp – I feel the most Jewish there – and that made it all more meaningful to me.”

Corey, a freshman at Parkway Central High School, is the son of Robin Fox, who works in corporate employee benefits at USI Insurance Service, and Allen Fox, who is self-employed. Corey’s sister, Samantha, is 13, and his brother, Quinn, is 10. Corey tutors students preparing for their bar mitzvahs at United Hebrew, he plays guitar and he has a disc jockey business. The family lives in Chesterfield.

Members of Corey’s immediate family attended the bar mitzvah, as did some 400 campers, serving as a congregation. “The outdoor chapel overlooks the lake, and it was just at sunset,” says Corey. “It was calm, relaxing – just amazing – and very meaningful. I will remember this always.” The family held a party at the camp, and later Corey had a small service at United Hebrew.

Abby Hirshman, 13, is also headed to a camp for her coming of age ceremony – Birch Trail Camp in Minong. Wisc. Rabbi Randy Fleisher, associate rabbi at Central Reform Congregation, officiated at the ceremony, held May 29.

“I didn’t want a big dance party, and I decided it would be cool to have my bat mitzvah at camp,” says Abby. “It was really pretty, standing out on the grass, seeing all the trees and the sky, hearing birds chirping and the sound of the water. It was really special.”

Abby is in eighth grade at Crossroads School. She is the daughter of Karen Handelman, president of 501creative, inc., and Marc Hirschman, who works in community development for US Bank. Abby has a sister, Emily, 9, and describes herself as “outdoorsy” but Abby also enjoys reading, listening to music and spending time with friends. The family lives in University City.

Some 65 relatives and friends attended Abby’s bat mitzvah. Afterward, they relaxed, played tennis, went kayaking or out on paddleboats, tried the climbing wall and enjoyed a catered barbecue.

“At one time in our history, all religious observances took place outside, so the natural world is the original church, temple, synagogue or mosque,” says Fleisher. “Being outdoors for something like this is awe-inducing, makes you feel humble, helps you connect to something bigger. As Abby read from the Torah and made prayers, we all felt connected to each other, too.”

On August 20, Josh Kazdan, 13, will become bar mitzvah at Congregation Moreshet Yisrael in Jerusalem. “People have been going to Israel for thousands of years and will for thousands of years, and I thought it would make me feel more connected to previous and future Jews to go there,” says Josh.

Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose of Congregation B’nai Amoona, who will be in Israel on sabbatical at the time, will officiate. “I am not always a fan of destination bar mitzvahs, but Josh is doing this in Israel for all the right reasons, and I applaud him,” says Rose.

Josh, an eighth grader at John Burroughs School, is the son of and Dr. Linda Kazdan, an anesthesiologist at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, and Dr. Andrew Kazdan, an internist at the same hospital. Josh, who likes swimming, biking, hiking, reading and playing piano, has a younger brother, Ben, who is 9. The family lives in Olivette.

The family will fly to Israel, where they will spend 10 days with six of Josh’s relatives from Canada and England. The Thursday before the bar mitzvah, Josh will have a tfillin ceremony at Robinson’s Arch at the Western Wall.

Josh voices one concern as he prepares for his bar mitzvah: “I’m doing the same things I would do for a bar mitzvah here – except I have to know the portion better, because people in Israel will actually know it.”