B’nai Mitzvah

The two-year B’nai Mitzvah program at B’nai Tikvah has been a recognized success for many years. Running concurrently with the Shabbat School, the program fosters a tight-knit group of young people who are prepared fully for not only the day they are called to the Torah, but more importantly for a lifetime of Jewish learning.

Grade 6 students begin the process of preparing for their bar/bat mitzvah by studying the prophets, the great debaters of our history, and the Hebrew liturgy necessary to feel comfortable in any Reform synagogue.

B’nai Mitzvah candidates begin their day with Rabbi Glickman, discussing the parashat hashavuah (the weekly Torah portion) and its relationship to their very modern lives. Issues of concern to any individual student can also come up at this time; it’s flexible and student-led.

Following their time with the rabbi, the students work together with their Jewish Life teacher to discuss how Jewish texts matter on a personal level. Through a strong communal identity, A solid grounding in Jewish texts and history, and a deep connection to Jewish life in Calgary, our B’nai Mitzvah become committed involved Jewish adults.