July 14th, 2013
We recently came across a great feature in The Acorn, a community newspaper in Southern California featuring three teens who found a sweet way to celebrate their Bat Mitzvahs.
Pictured at Left: Sadie Emmitt, Victoria Wildman and Lauren Leftz learned how to bake, decorate and sell cupcakes on behalf of Cupcakes for Cancer, a nonprofit group started by in 2007 by a 13-year-old Blakely Colvin, which helps families pay for cancer treatments.
The girls concocted cupcakes to fit every occasion and theme, including thin-mint-flavored cupcakes, and cream soda and orange 50-50, which combines orange Fanta and cream soda.
Together the girls baked more than 1,000 cupcakes in about three months and used the kitchen at the Valley Outreach Synagogue.
Lauren, a 13-year-old student at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks, said she and her friends raised more than $1,200 for their mitzvah project.
“We did cupcake sales all together at the temple,” Lauren said, adding that they also sold cupcakes for the cause at their schools and on other occasions.
Lauren became a Bat Mitzvah on May 4, 2013. “It’s an awesome feeling knowing that you’re helping to make the world a better place,” Lauren said.
The temple’s Facebook page promoted the event for the girls
Victoria is graduating from Sequoia Middle School in Newbury Park. She became a Bat Mitzvah on May 4, 2013. She said the project turned out to be fun and educational, adding that she picked up a few skills when learning how to bake. “We had a Valentine’s Day flavor—a vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting,” she said. Her personal favorite is the 50- 50 cupcake. “It felt good that I did something to help people in need,” she said.
Sadie will become a Bat Mitzvah on June 15, 2013 and said that the experience was rewarding and gave her the chance to experiment with creative recipes. She plans to use the recipes she learned for a future project and may come up with some new ones of her own.
Click on Cupcakes for Cancer for more information about this great organization.
July 14th, 2013
The Weiss family from Cobleskill, New York celebrated their son Harrison’s Bar Mitzvah on April 13, 2013 at Temple Israel in Albany, New York. After the ceremony, there were two very different celebrations.
Harrison did not want a “traditional” party but instead wanted to celebrate at his temple and do something memorable with friends…all in the same day! The solution was a formal Kiddush luncheon with a chess theme, followed by fun at the Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Water Park in Lake George, New York.
Cobi Creek Photography photographed the Kiddush luncheon and the rest of the vendors are listed at the bottom of this spotlight.
Pictured L-R: Bar Mitzvah boy Harrison, Mom Elise, Sister Madelyn and Dad Marc.
The service and Kiddush luncheon were held at Temple Israel in Albany, New York.
Harrison holding the Torah
Opening the Torah with his parents on either side of him
Harrison is a chess player, so they found yarmulkes with chess pieces
This red wagon, a gift from Harrison’s aunt when he was born, held candy which was thrown after the service. Harrison’s service program is next to it
The modern invitation with black, white and red colors set the tone for the Kiddush luncheon.
The RSVP email address was included on the bottom
The “Splash Pass” card was for the 2nd part of their celebration
Harrison wanted the Horah to be part of his celebration. Being part of a conservative/orthodox shul, there could be no music on a Saturday afternoon, so the Weiss family got creative. They hired a collegiate A Cappella group, The Earth Tones, from the University of Albany. They provided the music during the Horah and sang with the cantor during the luncheon as well!
Harrison being lifted in the chair during the Horah
The Earth Tones entertaining during the luncheon
Since they could not light candles, this family came up with a creative alternative for their candle lighting ceremony. They chose to do a “Wine Pouring” ceremony in which they honored family and friends by having them add a cup of happiness, love, friendship and wisdom into a large “cup of life.”
The table set up for the “Cup of Life” ceremony
Each cup had its own sign
Harrison with his grandmother
After each guest helped pour in one of the ingredients for a “recipe for a good life,” Harrison took it all in
The black, white and red color palette seemed great for a chess theme. Mom Elise bought chess magnets and used them as part of their place cards.
She spray painted the large magnetic chalkboard black and hung the place cards which welcomed guests as they walked into the luncheon
Plus, the magnets served as a souvenir since she put a little sticker on each that read, “Harrison’s Bar Mitzvah,” with the date on the back
The Weiss family invited President and Mrs. Obama, who unfortunately couldn’t make it, but sent back a nice congratulatory keepsake
Mom Elise bought glass chessboards from a local store which were incorporated with balloons to become part of the centerpieces.
Mom Elise cut out the cardboard chess pieces that decorated the tables
Photofetti, something Mom Elise found on Mitzvah Market, decorated the tables and was a great way to display pictures of Harrison at different stages in his life
Chess pieces decorated the buffet
Mom Elise decorated hospitality bags with chess pieces for the out-of-town guests
When it was time to head off to the Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Water Park, a private coach bus pulled up to the temple and all the kids (immediate family and some friends) boarded the bus.
Harrison and his sister Madelyn boarding the bus
Harrison’s friends take a few minutes from all the action to pose for a picture
Four hours of lazy rivers and slides
And a surfing area
Dinner was at Johnny Rockets in the hotel
One of Mom Elise’s favorite elements of the day was when she, her sister, mom and daughter put on their matching black and diamond studded t-shirts at the water park that read: “Bar Mitzvah Mom,” “Bar Mitzvah Aunt,” “Bar Mitzvah Grandma,” and “Bar Mitzvah Sister.”
The women got plenty of attention and the best part…..no worries about what to wear!
The favors, from WaDaYaNeed.com were towels- perfect for a water park!
The slogan “Instant Fun….Just Add Water” with Harrison’s name, the date and clip art of a swimmer
They were rolled up like big tootsie rolls and passed out on the bus on the way home
Harrison has been swimming competitively for years and was able to combine his love of swimming with his Mitzvah Project. The summer before his Bar Mitzvah, he organized a swim-a-thon with his local swim team and called the event, “Just Keep Swimming.” His whole team swam laps, and Harrison swam 112 laps himself. They found sponsors that donated flat rates and money per lap. Together, they raised over $1,700. The money saved the annual championship meet which was in danger of being cancelled and supported local pools damaged by recent hurricanes.
Some advice from Mom Elise:
“It is hard to stray away from what we know as ‘traditional’ in terms of a Bar Mitzvah celebration. However, it is important to listen to your child and help him/her create an event that represents him/her. Remind yourself that it is your child’s day and tailoring it to what he/she loves is the most important thing. My son was so happy and thoroughly enjoyed his Bar Mitzvah. Also, living in a small town where Bar Mitzvahs are far from the norm, it was important to plan early and help our guests understand the special meaning of the celebration. Everyone was on board and genuinely excited for the day!”
The following vendors helped to make Harrison’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Service/Kiddush Luncheon: Temple Israel, 518-438-7858
Party Venue: The Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Water Park, 518-824-6060
Photographer: Cobi Creek Photography, 518-231-4479
Music/Entertainment: UAlbany Earth Tones at uaearthtones@gmail.com
Towel Favors/Special T-Shirts: WaDaYaNeed, 800-958-4332
Invitations and Yarmulkes: Caryn Poskanzer, carynoccasions@hotmail.com
Balloons: Linda, Flowers Forever By Linda, 518-482-5086
Confetti: Photofetti, 866-496-3168
Welcome Board magnets: CafePress
Suits and dresses: Macy’s
Transportation: Brown Coach Company, 518-843-4700
July 10th, 2013
As the weather gets warmer, we crave ice cream- and that brings us to Coolhaus.
Coolhaus is an event truck that lets you and your guests build their own ice cream sandwiches that put amazing and creative flavors in between delicious cookies.
Coolhaus has trucks in New York, LA, Austin, and Miami and will come to your event.
Their catering services include all-you-can eat, made-to-order ice cream sandwiches served in custom edible wrappers. You get a choice of five artisan cookies and five to seven homemade ice creams for your guests to mix and match. Special requests–specific flavors, kosher, non-dairy, gluten-free and vegan can be accommodated with two weeks advance notice.
Owner Natasha Estrella handing out a treat
An architecturally inspired ice cream sandwich
Coolhaus’s cookie sammies are wrapped in edible rice paper wrappers that can be customized for an event or party
If you want to try one first and can’t find a truck near you, just head to your neighborhood Whole Foods freezer aisle and pick up one of the pre-packaged ice cream sandwiches
For Coolhaus event pricing, which varies depending on party size and location, click here.
July 7th, 2013
When Aaron Fils of Boca Raton, Florida was looking for a Mitzvah Project last year, he had no idea that the one he and his family would choose would teach him about an ancient custom and help out his Jewish community as well.
A student at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh, Aaron spoke with co-president Amy Grossblatt Pessah who suggested that he create a geniza as his Mitzvah Project. A geniza means “hiding place” in Hebrew, and is a depository for holy books and other items that contain God’s name. This ancient ritual dates back several thousand years and was needed for Congregation Shaarei Kodesh’s old prayer books, used Kosher holy books and for tallitot and tefillin.
Grossblatt praised Aaron for his character and tenacity. “He really liked the idea and he ran with it,” she said “It was a long project. It took about a year. Aaron did a great job.”
More than 1,000 books were left after the Conservative synagogue in West Boca Raton gave about 500 prayer books to a fledgling congregation.
“We had to sort all of the books by the year they were published,” said Aaron, who had help from his younger sister and several friends.
“He really stepped up to the plate and achieved a great thing,” Rabbi David Baum said. “He educated our community about what to do. It was a really meaningful experience and more meaningful because it was one of our bar mitzvah students.”
Eternal Light Memorial Gardens in Boynton Beach, Florida provided two ground burial plots for the geniza and two additional plots. “It’s a mitzvah. It’s an honor,” said Darren Shapiro, cemetery general manager. “It was a nice service too.”
Rabbi Baum recited the shehechiyanu, a blessing that thanks God for a particular moment of joy, as he participated in his and the synagogue’s first geniza at the end of May.
“Nobody that was at the geniza ceremony had ever been to one before,” Aaron said. “They thought it was a great experience.”
Aaron’s project is “an indication of his compassion and dedication to Jewish tradition and beliefs, and that items containing the words of God must be “properly put to rest,” said his dad Albert. “I’m very proud that he got involved in this and that it helped out our synagogue and other people,” said Ann Fils, Aaron’s mother.
Aaron will be entering 9th grade at Emanuel G. Rosenblatt High School in the fall.
This article is courtesy of writer David A. Schwartz and the The Florida Jewish Journal.
July 7th, 2013
Sarah Merians Photography & Videography has grown into so much more than simply snapping a photo. The “&” in their name represents the company they are today.
They want to be in their clients’ lives for a lifetime, as opposed to just one event. This special relationship they foster with their clients, along with the wide range of products they create and services they offer, is what sets them apart.
Founded in 1986, Sarah and her team have seen many trends come and many trends go and they are on the pulse of what’s happening in the Bar Bat Mitzvah scene today.
While Sarah was planning her own daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, she kept a Mitzvah Mom Journal on her blog. This journal not only explains all about the decisions they made for their family, but it’s also filled with very helpful tips!
If you like “looking” for ideas, check out their trend portfolio at the bottom of Sarah’s Mitzvah Mom blog. You will see 24 image portfolios filled with great ideas in a variety of party element categories.
Below is a small sampling of what you will find:
If you’re thinking about an “on location” shoot with your child, check out these great locations where Sarah Merians can shoot here
Sarah showcases many different types of cakes that Bar Bat Mitzvah kids have been enjoying!
Check out that link here
This section is filled with extremely unique entertainment like this curled up person inside a box!
More here
Are you trying to get your daughter to decide what she wants to wear? Check out the beautiful photography and dresses of these Bat Mitzvah girls here
Let’s not forget the boys here
There are great sign-in ideas and photo decor in this portfolio here
Candy Bars are very popular! They come in many shapes and sizes here
To learn more about Sarah Merians Photography & Videography visit their extended profile page in our Vendor Directory.
