Bnei Mitzvah Program
The Bnei Mitzvah program is designed to help young people explore issues of Jewish identity. As they become adult members of the Jewish community, there are a number of identity issues that arise and the program seeks to support and guide students to come to their own answers. The program explores issues of ritual and symbolism, participation in community, and expressions of identity.
Sunday afternoons
4 – 5:30pm
Grades 7 and 8
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2010/2011 YEAR
Click here for the program calendar
The Bnei Mitzvah Program is run jointly with Hillel Children’s Workshop.
Program Components
The program consists of 4 main component areas. Each has a substantive project that brings the dialogue to tangible form.
1. Social Justice Project
Each student creates a social justice project. These projects are comprehensive and robust. Each student must develop a project that includes volunteer, tzedakah-giving and advocacy components. The project must also involve work on local, Jewish and global spheres. Parent involvement in these projects is significant. Ideally, students will involve their guests as well.
2. Tallit-making Project
Each student makes his/her own tallit. This project combines explorations of ritual, tradition and expressions of Jewish identity. Students design and create their own tallit including drawing, painting or embroidering onto their tallit symbols, words, shapes and pictures that they feel shows their Jewish identity.
3. Arts and Culture Project
Throughout the year, students are exposed to a variety of contemporary Jewish arts and cultural events. Students then participate in a Beit Café event where friends and family are invited to come and listen/see the artistic creations of the students. Students may paint, sing, play, perform, read, dance or in any other way offer an artistic presentation to show their Jewish expression.
4. Inter-generational Project
Working in partnership with Baycrest, each student interviews two Jewish seniors – one born in Canada and one immigrant – about their lives and identities as Jews. The students then incorporate the lives and learning of their interviewees with their own Jewish story and write a short piece with themes of identity, journeys and belonging.
Fees: $500 for Habonim and Hillel members, $550 for non-members. Those having their Bat/Bar Mitzvah at Habonim, the fees for this program are included in the synagogue Bat/Bar Mitzvah fees.
