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B’nai Mitzvah
Celebrating becoming a B’nai mitzvah is a special and meaningful milestone, wherein your child is recognized as an adult within Jewish heritage and tradition. At our congregation, watching your child read Torah and lead our prayers communally is a source of pride and inspiration.
The B’nai mitzvah process first begins for our Religious School students in the 4th grade, with the assignment of a b’nai mitzvah date. Although it mightl feel impossibly far in the future, there is much that needs to happen in between the assignment of the date and the planning of the event, as well as the advancement of your child’s Jewish education.
Every step in this special journey is detailed in our B’nai Mitzvah packet. We encourage you to download this PDF and view it with your child as a family, to better familiarize yourself with the timeline to your child’s ultimate simcha.
The process of becoming a B’nai Mitzvah at our synagogue includes studying Hebrew, learning the teachings of Torah, leading and participating in Shabbat services, and performing mitzvot. In order to be properly prepared for one’s B’nai Mitzvah, your child will have individualized meetings with Cantor Singer, Rabbi Kirshner, and Rabbi Cohen, in addition to their attendance of Temple Emanu-El’s Religious School. Please contact Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg, Rabbi for Lifelong Learning, for more information at ruberg@tecloster.org.
Our clergy is available to assist Temple Emanu-El members with all lifecycle events, in support of you and your family: To celebrate with you in times of joy and to guide you in moments of struggle, from the beginning of life to its inevitable culmination. Families must be a member of Temple Emanu-El to celebrate a lifecycle with us.
Chareen Kramer, Executive Assistant to Clergy, will be happy to assist in the coordination of any lifecycle event. Please call 201-750-9997 ext 207 or email her at kramer@tecloster.org.
The congregants and leadership of TE have been warm and welcoming, and although we have only been members for a short time, TE already feels like home.
- Brittnay Alter 
Our family has found a second home at Temple Emanu-el. For us it is a place for meaningful worship; but also it's a vibrant community that caters to every member of our family. From enriching religious school programs and fun holiday celebrations for our kids, to engaging study sessions and social activities for my husband and me, there's always something happening at the Temple.
- Ruthie Nussbaum 
I can’t believe our Hebrew school journey has come to end. Thank you to all of our Morahs, the Rabbis, Cantor Singer, and Adam who have all made an impact on my Jewish values. I always love learning about where I come from and the traditions we keep. Not to mention the ice cream truck we get rewarded with at the end of the year has made it all worth it. But seriously, learning the stories of our people and seeing how they connect to the traditions my family observes during the holidays has given more meaning to those stories.
- Maya Kent 
I am blessed to have four generations active as members of Temple Emanu-El. Spending time here with my grandkids creating lifelong memories is a priceless gift.
- Robin Miller 
The first time I arrived on the Temple Emanu-El campus I could feel the vibrant and warm energy. I knew immediately that this is where I wanted my children and family to engage in their Jewish life. Since then, we have been blessed to watch our children move through the Temple’s Hebrew school and become Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Jillian and I have built deep and meaningful friendships with fellow members and the clergy. The energy we felt at the beginning has grown to become a vibrant Jewish light.
- Daniel Herz 
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