For information about your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, start by contacting:
B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator
Lauren Pemberton
212-507-9609
Welcome to the next step in your family’s Jewish journey. We are excited to guide you into deeper engagement with the Jewish tradition, people, and faith as your child studies to become Bar, Bat, or B’nei Mitzvah. In preparation for your family’s ceremony, we have designed a process to make this rite of passage even more meaningful for our students and families. Along this path you will have opportunities for one-to-one meetings with our clergy, and joint learning sessions with other B’nei Mitzvah families.
For information about your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, start by contacting:
B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator
Lauren Pemberton
212-507-9609
More Information on Scheduling
The differences between morning and afternoon or evening services at Emanu-El:
10:30 AM Service
1:30 PM (12:30 PM starting Sept. 2022) Service
5:00 PM Service
Our Sacred Spaces
At Temple Emanu-El, we offer two spaces where your child may become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The morning service always takes place in the Fifth Avenue Sanctuary, while the afternoon and evening services may take place in either the Fifth Avenue Sanctuary or the Beth-El Chapel.
The main difference between the two sanctuaries is the size, so your choice may depend on how many people are attending your child’s service, or how comfortable your child feels speaking in a large room. The Fifth Avenue Sanctuary seats 2,400 people, and the Beth-El Chapel seats approximately 250 people. You and your child are most welcome to come in and view both spaces. Please contact the to set up a time.
Beth-El Chapel
The Main Fifth Avenue Sanctuary
Musical Options
For pricing, please contact our.
Additional instruments for morning, afternoon, or evening: Violin, Percussion, Bass
Choral singers available for afternoon and evening: Quartet or Octet
The clergy team provides a series of check-in points leading up to your family’s ceremony in order to continue to enrich the process with meaning, create community around this moment in your family’s lifecycle, and to provide ongoing support towards your child’s special moment.
5th/6th Grade Program - Starting the Journey
Depending upon your child’s age and the date of their ceremony, either in 5th or 6th grade they will attend with at least one parent a program designed to provide a general overview of the b’nei mitzvah program, as well as to help provide context for the meaning of the ceremony. During this program, you will work with a member of our clergy or education team to pick the Torah verses your child will chant on the day of their ceremony.
Year out meeting - Checking In
In this meeting about a year out from your child’s ceremony, you will have the opportunity to touch base with one of our clergy members, ask questions, discuss the meaning and goals of the ceremony, and check in about the process leading up to the ceremony.
Seminar 1 - Intro to B’nei Mitzvah
9-11 months out from your child’s ceremony you and the child will attend a seminar led by Rabbi Davidson and Cantor Glazman. During this seminar you will be introduced to the cohort of other b’nei mitzvah families you will move through the process with, will learn more about the intricacies of Jewish prayer and the b’nei mitzvah ceremony, and learn about the tutoring process. The tutoring process begins immediately after this seminar.
Seminar 2 - Beginning Your Sermon
4-6 months out from your child’s ceremony you and the child will attend a seminar led by Rabbi Kahn and Rabbi Sapadin. During this seminar you will be introduced to the process of writing a d’var Torah, the Jewish mode of deriving and sharing wisdom from the Torah. After the seminar, ongoing check-ins with Rabbi Kahn and Rabbi Sapadin will help you finish a draft of the d’var Torah prior to Seminar 3.
Seminar 3 - Preparing for Your Ceremony
2-4 months out from your child’s ceremony, students come together one final time in order share to share their sermons with each other. This seminar is led by Rabbi Amy Ehrlich. During the seminar, students will be able to hear each others’ work and provide feedback. Parents will have the opportunity to consider and learn about how they can turn their child’s ritual into a meaningful familial moment full of blessings from the Jewish tradition.
The Month Before
B’nei Mitzvah Binder Siddur
This binder siddur will contain a print out of the prayer book your child will use for their ceremony. We will guide you to insert their final sermon in it, as well as a photocopy of the pieces of Torah (and Haftarah for morning b’nei mitzvah) they will be chanting.
Torah Packet
This packet, created by Behrman House, has the entirety of the Torah portion for the week of your child’s ceremony. We will work with you and your child to pick the pieces they will be responsible for chanting. The contents of the packet, particularly traditional commentaries, will also act as resources for the creation of your child’s d’var Torah (sermon).
Kol Koré
Not a document, but an interactive website, Kol Koré will function as the online home base for your child’s learning. All Hebrew content they will learn will be guided via this website. After your Year Out Meeting with a clergy member, you will be sent a link and login information for your child.
Temple Emanu-El offers in-house group tutoring either online or in person. This tutoring program begins immediately after Seminar 1. Students attend 60 minutes of group tutoring once a week for six months.
This program will then culminate in three months of one-to-one 20-minute check-in meetings with our cantors.
Group Tutoring Details
During group tutoring, led by either Cantor Jonathan Comisar or Cantor Lori Corrsin, students will begin with a review of the Hebrew alphabet, followed by the learning of “Avot,” the Torah Blessings, and up to three aliyot of their Torah portion. During group tutoring, the student is both being taught the process of learning, and being set up to continue learning new content on their own via Kol Kore, the software program used to support their learning.
Depending upon a student’s ceremony time and the student’s predilections, they may also learn V’ahavtah (10:30 AM service), Gevurot (1:30 PM and 5:00 PM service), blessings before and after the Haftarah (10:30 AM service), and Haftarah portion (10:30 AM service).
Private Tutoring Option
If group tutoring does not fit the needs of your family, we have curated a list of qualified private tutors available upon request. We strongly encourage you to engage a tutor from our vetted list. If you have already identified another tutor, please put them in contact with our in order to have them made aware of our program.
Cantorial Check-Ins
The program culminates in three months of weekly one-to-one 20-minute check-in meetings with our cantors, which function as fine-tuning and guidance to finish up the learning process.
Membership dues and all fees, including Religious School tuition, must be paid in full three months prior to the B’nei Mitzvah date.
More Information
We continue to develop our new processes towards post-COVID ceremonies and celebrations. If you have any particular questions regarding security, photography, flowers, or receptions, please contact our
A comprehensive list of important details in planning your child’s bar/bat mitzvah.
Pre-K – 2nd Grade
• Enroll child in Religious School
• Attend family programs, holiday celebrations, and worship services
• Get to know our clergy and other families
3rd Grade
• Attend a B’nei Mitzvah information session
• A date for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah service may be scheduled after Labor Day of the student’s 3rd grade for students enrolled in our Religious School. To do so, please contact our
4th Grade
• Attend a B’nei Mitzvah information session if you have not already done so
• You can also book service dates in 4th Grade. To do so, please contact our
5th and 6th Grade