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

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

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

Divorced parents must rise above their own differences and make the day special for the child.

Although the bar/bat mitzvah meal is traditionally a seudat mitzvah--a meal with sacred status--extravagance has been rife for hundreds of years.

Links to sites about Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, gifts, and parties

Creating a tallit (prayer shawl) or designing a bar/bat mitzvah invitation can add a meaningful personal dimension to the celebration.

For a traditional family, the appropriate date for a bar/bat mitzvah is the Shabbat on or following the child's birthday, but for a liberal family, selecting a date can be more complicated.

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

The terms