Path of Study

B’nai Mitzvah students work 1-on-1 with a DUGMAH Mentor on a weekly basis, in-home or virtually, to prepare for their ceremony.  Study begins by exploring what a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is and defining what it will mean to the individual participant.  Often, children are told that the event represents the point where they become Jewish “adults” and take on greater responsibility.  While there is truth to that, it is meaningless without context and personalization.  We spend a great deal of time discussing and identifying what becoming a “Jewish Adult” means to the larger Jewish community and to the individual student.  Some of the topics include:

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• What are ones ethical responsibilities as a Jew?

• Understanding and exploring personal moral accountability through a Jewish lens.

• How do you represent yourself, your family and the Jewish community in a larger context?

• Learning how to participate and feel comfortable at a Jewish service.

• What is involved in leading a religious service, putting on as tallit, reading from the Torah, and being counted as an adult during prayer services.

• Why do we say the prayers that we do, such as the “Shema”? And, what is their meaning and why might we care?

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DUGMAH mentors work with student to develop their connection to Jewish identity in addition to traditional preparation of learning prayers, songs, and torah portions.  

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