Bar/Bat Mitzvah Basics

by Leneman, Helen

• ISBN13: 9781879045514
• ISBN10: 1879045516
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-03-01
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xiii
Foreword	xv
Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin
Preface	xix
Rabbi Julie Gordon
Introduction	xxi
Cantor Helen Leneman
Section I: What's Bar/Bat Mitzvah All About?	1	(64)
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Basic Elements: Start to Finish	3	(12)
Cantor Helen Leneman
What Parents Should Know Before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony	15	(6)
Susie Tatarka
``Passing'' the Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah: Setting Clear and Realistic Expectations for Everyone	21	(12)
Cantor Marshall Portnoy
A Guide for the Perplexed Parent: How to Ask the Right Questions about Preparation	33	(10)
Cantor Helen Leneman
The Parents' Rite of Passage	43	(4)
Rabbi Susan B. Stone
Ritual Magic and Family Drama: Finding New Meaning in an Old Story	47	(10)
Dr. Judith Davis
To a Religiously Skeptical Jewish Parent	57	(8)
Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin
Section II: The Family's Perspective	65	(54)
Tales from the Home Front: Lessons from Family Experiences	67	(10)
Cantor Helen Leneman
Reflections of a Mother	77	(6)
Missy Cohen Lavintman
Reflections of a Father	83	(6)
Neal Gendler
Post B'nai Mitzvah Thoughts: Teens Reflect	89	(8)
Norman Lavintman
Maya Jaffe
Jennifer Greenberg
Miriam White
The Bat Mitzvah Dress: An Intergenerational Story	97	(6)
Dr. Nechama Liss-Levinson
Journey of One Interfaith Family	103	(6)
Dr. Donna R. Hart
What to Say to Your Child on the Bimah	109	(10)
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Section III: Essentials and Options for the Service and the Celebration	119	(52)
Designing a Creative Service	121	(8)
Cantor Helen Leneman
Celebrating and Negotiating: Avoiding a Post-Divorce Battle on the Bimah	129	(10)
Sally Weber
Making the Theme Meaningful	139	(6)
Rabbi Aaron Bergman
Do You Need a Party Planner?	145	(6)
Guntor Helen Leneman
Coming of Age: The Significance of Bar/Bat Mitzvah for Interfaith Families	151	(4)
Joan C. Hawxhurst
Celebrating Bar/Bat Mitzvah Successfully as an Interfaith Family	155	(6)
Lena Romanoff
Special Needs Children Speak for Themselves	161	(10)
Appendix A: On the Learning Path---Selected Resources for Parents	171	(10)
Dr. Barbara Wachs z''l
Cantor Helen Leneman
Appendix B: Shabbat Morning Service Outline	181	(2)
Cantor Marshall Portnoy
Appendix C: Helpful Hints for Parents of Special Needs Children	183	(4)
Beverly Weaver
Appendix D: Selected Bibliography: Recommended Sources for English Readings	187	(2)
Cantor Helen Leneman
Glossary	189	(4)
About the Contributors	193	(6)
About Jewish Lights	199