ELYSE PICKER, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published July 21, 2021
Religious school. If you attended as a child, your memories may be along the lines of mine: something you had to do that took up extra time after school and on the weekends and was often quite dull.
However, after surveying the directors of eight...
By Hannah Snidman, Staff writer
• Published June 22, 2016
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...
By Rabbi Joel E. Hoffman, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published May 26, 2016
I have always wondered why bar/bat mitzvah lessons consists of learning trope, how to chant a section of the Torah and Haftarah, and how to lead parts of the service, especially because we know that 99 percent will never again read from the Torah or Haftarah...
CHICAGO — Sinai Synagogue in South Bend, Ind., has been struggling with issues facing many small congregations in an era of dwindling budgets and shifting demographics. In particular, with only 150 families, until recently it was increasingly difficult...
By Shira Schoenberg, JTA
• Published April 30, 2012
BOSTON -- On a recent Sunday, Ayla Watson celebrated her bat mitzvah.Ayla, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other behavioral difficulties, ascended the bimah and recited the Torah reading for Rosh Chodesh, the new month. The service...
By Jessica Leader, JTA
• Published February 7, 2012
NEW YORK -- This wasn’t your typical bat mitzvah. It took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, a majority Muslim country with an Jewish community that is thought to number in the double digits. The bat mitzvah, Mei Lin Kallman, spent part of her Hebrew school...
BY SARAH ALLEN, SOPHOMORE, LADUE HORTON WATKINS
• Published November 9, 2011
Most Jewish students learn Hebrew during the course of preparing for their b'nai mitzvot or in language classes at school. Now, the establishment of Hebrew immersion schools in cities across the United States offers students the chance to learn Hebrew...
