B’nei Mitzvah Program | בני מצוה

When a young person reaches the age of 13, they are expected to assume the religious responsibilities of an adult in the Jewish community. At Congregation Emanu-El, this is marked by participating in a Shabbat morning service and reading from the Torah on or after their thirteenth birthday. Students also have an option to participate in an inter-generational trip to Israel and to celebrate becoming B’nei Mitzvah during that trip. We are happy to create individual B’nei Mitzvah experiences for students with special needs. Please contact Flora Kupferman for more information.

Students prepare for B’nei Mitzvah by developing skills to lead the congregation in parts of the Shabbat morning service, by learning to chant from the weekly Torah and Haftarah portions and by creating a D’var Torah, an individual interpretation of the weekly reading.

In order to become B’nei Mitzvah, a student must be enrolled in our B’nei mitzvah Youth and Family Education Program for at least two years prior to the event. Families must be members of the congregation and students must participate in the Youth and Family Education program as well as B’nei Mitzvah preparation classes.

For more information on the B’nei Mitzvah process and to get started with coordination, contact the B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator, Naghmeh Novbakhtian.

* This information is true for 2026 forward. We will be under construction from 2023-2025 and will only have the Main Sanctuary available. Our cantors will be alternating weekends and there will be back-to-back services at 9:00 am and 11:15 am.