(JTA) – It seems hard to believe, but there’s never been a truly great bar/bat mitzvah movie — mostly because there just haven’t been that many bar/bat mitzvah movies, period. Yes, there have been plenty of one-off TV episodes centered around...

March 18, 2022, marks the 100th anniversary of the first bat mitzvah ceremony in the United States. Judith Kaplan, daughter of the influential rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, became the first woman to publicly celebrate the traditional Jewish coming-of-age...

If your family is planning a backyard bar or bat mitzvah, Dorothy’s famous words at the end of “The Wizard of Oz” might be on your mind: “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire… I won’t look any further than my own backyard.” True,...

Judy Berger lost her husband, Leslie, on New Year’s Eve 2019, but he was very much on her mind during the second day of Hanukkah last Saturday. That’s when Berger, 73, achieved a milestone: her bat mitzvah.“He was never bar mitzvahed, and I thought,...

Raise your hand if you’re tired of the phrase “the new normal.” Keep your hand up if you realize you’re actually adapting to the new normal, even though the term annoys you. I see lots of hands.  The world has changed plans with regard to work,...

Henry Rosenblum followed what is now a family tradition: a bar mitzvah abroad. Henry’s eldest brother, Myles, became a bar mitzvah in Jerusalem, joined by extended family on both sides. Then Spencer, the middle son, traveled with his family to Budapest,...

We asked readers to cast their vote for St. Louis’ top businesses that help to make bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and other celebrations occasions to remember for a lifetime. More than 700 people voted in the poll and on the following pages, find the...

Kate Barbarash | United Hebrew CongregationAs hard as it was studying Hebrew for her bat mitzvah and as nerve racking as it was standing on the bimah in front of more than 100 people, Kate said it was all worth it. That’s because it brought her to the...

There are parties, and then there are PARTIES. Most of us have hosted a party. For example, you may have had family or friends over for a backyard barbecue. Or you may have hosted your child’s birthday party in your basement. Or you may have even invited...

After forming a Hebrew school specifically for secular Israelis, Bais Abraham recently created a yearlong bar and bat mitzvah program for Israeli families living in the St. Louis area.In Israel, many Jewish teenagers host parties for bar and bat mitzvahs...