Practical aspects of bar bat mitzvah

The initial impetus for adult bar/bat mitzvah came from men who, having missed the ceremony as adolescents, felt somehow incomplete as Jews.

How to step in and step back.

Parents, educators, rabbis and student must work as a team to adjust the ceremony to the student's learning style and capabilities.

Traditionally, the father recited one blessing during the service, but today, parents are often much more involved.

The bar/bat mitzvah service now focuses on the child as individual, but the synagogue community should not suffer.

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

Um, very. A recent bat mitzvah party in Stamford Connecticut had to be cleared out by the police because 14-year-olds ...

The bar mitzvah (and even more so the bat mitzvah) is a relatively new phenomena.

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.