Evergreen

Differences between a traditional bar and bat mitzvah are all too visible when the honorees are brother and sister.

As girls have become the educational equals of boys in Orthodox Judaism, rabbis need to explore halakhah to create a normative bat mitzvah ceremony.

Originally bar mitzvah meant simply "coming of age." The ceremony developed much later.

For converted children, bar/bat mitzvah is a time for affirming their connections with Judaism.

Some families choose a nontraditional path toward adult Jewish identity and responsibility.

Suggestions for adding social action to this rite of passage.

Mitzvah projects are often part of the bar/bat mitzvah observance .

What to expect and how to behave at a bar/bat mitzvah service.

The defining moment of the ceremony is the child's first aliyah, but children may also play additional roles in the service.

Interfaith families should ask the rabbi about synagogue policies and honestly examine both parents' attachments to Judaism.