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 ...

There are few events in Jewish life as significant as a bar or bat mitzvah, the coming-of-age milestone often celebrated alongside a party for family and friends. And for such an important occasion, ...

A teenager’s role in the modern b’nai mitzvah ceremony appears clearly defined: study, perform then party. Planning for the event falls to the parents. But should this be the case? “Our job is not ...

Two years before my bat mitzvah, I dressed up as a bar mitzvah boy. It was the holiday of Purim, when costumed revelers celebrate biblical Esther’s derring-do. I wore a red blouse with an oversized ...

You would have to have a heart encrusted with cynicism to not be moved by Malala Yousafzai. It is, in many ways, a modern miracle. An activist for equal education for young girls in her native ...

A Columbus Orthodox rabbi has called for the abolition of the Bar Mitzvah ceremony in American Judaism on the premise that “nothing has contributed more to the adulteration of faith and the confusion ...

For 12-year-old Nomi Kline Solmsen, preparing for her upcoming bat mitzvah is a family affair. Her grandfather, a rabbi, is helping her learn to chant the words from the Torah. Her aunt, also a ...

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Eighty deaf and hard-of-hearing Israeli children had a joint bar and bat mitzvah ceremony in Jerusalem. They also visited the Western Wall, with the tour presented in sign language.

(The Conversation) — Judith Kaplan became the first American bat mitzvah in 1922. The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony has become more popular for girls ever since. (The Conversation) — March 18, 2022, ...

Tsvi Reiter, Yvonne Reiter and Hei Le participate in Yvonne’s bat mitzvah ceremony, which was performed over Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images News via Getty Images March ...