I received a number of comments on my March 26 Mixed and Matched column about an 11-year-old who wants a bat mitzvah but would be starting from scratch because she has not been raised Jewish. I’d like to reply to all of you: “A bat mitzvah need not take place at age 13. You can have a…
Read More »I received this flier in an email from the Osher Marin JCC and just instantly fell in love with the vibrant photos of kids enjoying SUMMER! Then I read the testimonial by fourth grader Hailey. So sweet! Take a look at all the summer options for kids – and adults – at the Marin…
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My practicing Christian husband and I have two girls. Our oldest will be 11 in the fall and has announced that we must join a synagogue and give her a bat mitzvah. I was raised Reform and didn’t have a bat mitzvah, though I was confirmed. We haven’t done anything to raise them with religion,…
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Shavuot starts on Saturday at sundown Are you wondering, what exactly is Shavuot and what are we supposed to DO? Here’s a quickie overview. Here’s an interesting article about why Shavuot is so short on rituals, and therefore, observance. Tikkun Leyl Shavout, the practice of staying up all night to study originates with the mystics and was not…
Read More »I was pleased to note that the list of teachers for the East Bay Jewish Community Center Tikkun Leyl Shavuot truly does go from Adina to Zelig! These teachers range from Orthodox to Renewal to lay people to scholars and rabbis. You really should give yourself the gift of one crazy night of learning….
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It’s May! I feel like I should burst into song. On the Jewish calendar we are in the midst of counting the Omer AND we celebrated the holiday of Yom HaAtzmaut, the birthday of the modern state of Israel, Wednesday night. POSTPONED I had to postpone my event, This Is Bay Area Jewry. It…
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