April 20th, 2013
Many of the Bar Bat Mitzvah’s we have been attending lately include a program or booklet for the child’s service.
It is a personal decision whether or not to provide a program to your guests when they arrive. Many families choose to do this when they have a number of non-Jewish guests who may need a program to enhance their understanding of the service and what the prayers mean.
Or, you may want to create a program to help participating guests follow your temple’s particular type of service.
The program to the left is by Invitationsbyana.com.
Information that can be included is:
- A brief paragraph explaining the meaning of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah
- An outline of the service: order of events and a sentence or two of what to expect
- List of the alliyahs (honors) and who will be doing them
- Remembering those family and friends who can’t be there on this special day
- Optional: a brief paragraph about your child’s Torah reading and a brief paragraph about your child’s Mitzvah Project.
We think a program may be a nice, decorative keepsake and your child can even create the cover or be involved in the writing. You can either create your own cover or check out some companies that do it for you.
We have gathered a few examples from the Internet to get you going.
CustomSiddur.com makes real prayer books with the entire service,
in Hebrew and English, for any denomination and can also make a cover design to fit any taste, from classic to modern
Mitzvah Artistree program covers arrive flat, but pre-scored for easy folding, with tassel included. You will need to print your own program insert yourself, which can be done
easily on an inkjet or laser printer on the 8.5 x 11″ paper of your choice
From Evy Jacob this program looked just like the invitation
This program is from It Events by Julie
J. Levine & Co Books Judaica can produce a prayer book that can be a keepsake for people to take home and will include: speeches, Dvar Torah, a custom cover and torah portion
Did you use a program for your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah? We would love to see it. Please let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
April 16th, 2013
Our previous story, Where Should I Put My Stuff? was such a hit, we decided to round up more ideas.
Below are additional creative ways for Bar Bat Mitzvah young guests to keep their shoes, bags, giveaways and favors organized!
Most entertainment and decor companies can supply a variety of cubbies. They can be stacked, customized and personalized depending on budget and theme.
The cubbies above are from Creative Games for a New York themed Bat Mitzvah.
Pat Glenn Productions created these cubbies that included a personalized name card for each young guest
A wire cubbie set up from Sarah Merians Photography & Video was used to hold the favor bags
Favors were displayed on the netting at a Chelsea Piers Bat Mitzvah by Little Miss Party
NY Lounge Decor can provide light up options
Carlyle At The Palace cubbies and eco-friendly totes are a great way for kids to store their stuff the entire night
Creative Games spray painted lockers with a huge logo for this football themed Bar Mitzvah
Ruth Ridgeway Designs created a sports themed locker room using cubbies and also projected a logo onto the floor to add to the effect
Perfectly Planned by Shari Events created cubbies for kids to check their gear and their shoes
These blue and green water bottles really pop on the white cubbies from event planners Evoke DC
Club Vibe, located in New Jersey already has cubbies at their venue
These lockers were used as part of the decor from East St. Promotions
Did you have cubbies at your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
April 12th, 2013
New Jersey Mom Laurie Zucker created a unique candylicious business called Covered in Candy.
She creates edible, impressive candy gifts which have been used as Bar/Bat Mitzvah decor, centerpieces and/or on any type of candy buffet.
Look at some of her recent creations below:
A menorah for Hannukah
Score a goal with this candy soccer ball
Your child’s initial
For a fashionista’s Bat Mitzvah
This is was one of the nicest bunks we have ever seen!
Laurie Zucker can be reached at 646-234-9635 or by email at Laurie@CoveredInCandy.com.
April 12th, 2013
It was time for the second Mitzvah celebration for the Imberman family from Chappaqua, New York. Mom is event planner Melisa Imberman owner of The Event Of A Lifetime, Inc. and we have previously written about her son Alex’s celebration, as well as several others that she’s planned for her clients.
For Morgan’s Bat Mitzvah, Melisa combined her daughter’s love of monkeys with her gymnastics to create a “wild” night at Temple Beth El in Chappaqua.
Peter Obrec was the photographer and the rest of the vendor information is at the end of the spotlight.
Pictured L-R: Mom Melisa, Brother Alex, Bat Mitzvah girl Morgan and Dad Marc.
Morgan’s service and celebration took place at Temple Beth El.
Bat Mitzvah girl Morgan holding the torah
The zebra print yarmulkes, a hint of the party theme to come, were placed on a table alongside Morgan’s invitation created by Small Fry Press
The entire Imberman family got into Morgan’s theme!
Bat Mitzvah girl Morgan wore a neon pink high low gown that was lined with zebra print fabric
Mom Melisa’s dress is from Designing Dreams and the men’s black suits and hot pink ties are from Nordstrom
Their feet even got into the animal theme! Check out Melisa’s zebra print shoes and the zebra print socks on Marc and brother Alex!
Morgan’s nails were neon pink with two nails zebra print
Melisa has planned many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in the New York area. With the help of Diane Amante, co-owner of Xquisite Flowers and Events, they “went wild” in planning her daughter Morgan’s celebration by converting their temple ballroom into a jungle of neon pink with monkeys everywhere!
The ballroom is ready for guests to arrive
For their seating cards, each guest found their name and table number written in neon pink on a silk leaf that could easily be plucked off of a vine
The place card leaves against the bark
The kids lounge area was a fantasy jungle of neon pink and zebra print with a giant decal of Morgan’s logo on the wall
The dance floor featured a jungle canopy with monkeys hanging down
Beautiful tropical arrangements surrounded the table numbers
The adult tables were wrapped in neon pink spandex with zebra chair coverings and the centerpieces were trees with monkeys and exotic flowers
The plate chargers were actually slices of a tree trunk
The menus designed by Small Fry Press were printed on paper that looked like wood and were wrapped in zebra print napkins
Mom Melisa really incorporated special details into her daughter’s party.
The bathroom basket was chic and had just the right touch of animal accents
A Pinot Noir called Morgan was served to the adult guests
Plastic monkeys swinging from the wine glasses reinforced the theme
Printed on a wood grain paper, the bar menu described specialty drinks such as Jungle Juice and Monkeytini, while a lovable gorilla held the zebra framed menu. The kids dinner selections were displayed the same way.
Morgan’s young guests had many different animal patterned socks to choose from
A giant decal of Morgan’s logo on the dance floor
Morgan’s sign-in pink beanbag chair featured her logo.
Guests wrote Morgan special messages using Sharpies wrapped in zebra duct tape which were attached to the oversized beanbag chair
Video Solutions of NY created a jungle themed entrance video which set the tone for Morgan’s celebration. She is a competitive gymnast who loves monkeys and this video cleverly combined both and showed their similarities.
Some of the video was shot at the Bronx Zoo and some at her gym. The video ends with the song Welcome to the Jungle, as Morgan makes her entrance. Watch here
Morgan was carried into the room by her DJ dancers. The “Queen of the Jungle” was on a raft that was adorned with zebra print fabric, neon pink ruffles, leaves, and flowers
MC Ali and the Starlight Express crew kept the energy high and everyone on the dance floor all night.
The family on the dance floor
Morgan and her friends having fun
Dance floor giveaways included animal print hats, glasses, and little stuffed monkeys with shirts featuring Morgan’s logo
From social media to magic and even custom nails, there was lots of fun entertaining the guests.
The kids lounge had cards encouraging guests to use Instagram with a special #hashtag. Cards read: “If u take a pic, we want to c, plz post them on Instagram #3213”
Magic Dave entertaining Morgan’s guests
Guests were able to take photos or download images onto a set of nails that could be applied at the party or taken home
Morgan’s cake was created by Lulu Cake Boutique in a zebra print and some edible monkeys too!
A little bit of bling for the jungle queen’s cake
Morgan blowing out some candles
The girls’ sweatshirts were white with one logo in the back and another on the front. The front of the sweatshirt was hand cut into a v-neck and studded.
Favors were presented in cool zebra print bags
The inside of the hood was lined with zebra print fabric
As guests left, they could grab a cake pop off of the hot pink and zebra print dessert table.
Additionally, there was a cupcake dispenser that looked like a giant gumball machine. Each guest was given a token and when they put it in the dispenser, a mini cupcake in a pod came out!
Mom and event planner Melisa gives us some advice:
“Stay organized, rely on your vendors’ expertise & enjoy yourself…it will be over before you know it.”
Morgan organized a Cartwheel-A-Thon where she practices gymnastics. The money that was raised will be used to send a less fortunate kid to the The International Gymnastics Camp. She also collected old cell phone batteries to help save gorillas from extinction. Recycling the batteries help save the gorillas because the trees in the African Rain forests contain something called, colton which is used to make cell phone batteries. Now that more and more people have cell phones they have to cut down many trees. When they cut down trees, they are cutting down gorillas’ homes. By recycling old cell phones, we are saving gorillas and trees.
The following vendors helped to make Morgan’s celebration special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, 914-238-3928
Party Planner: Melisa Imberman, The Event Of A Lifetime, Inc, 914-762-5770
Caterer:Karen Epstein, Encore Catering 973-515-8000 www.encorecateringnj.com
Music Entertainment: MC Ali, Starlight Express, 516-742-1100
Décor/florist: Diane Amante co-owner, X-quisite Flowers and Events, 914-632-8700
Photographer: Peter Oberc, 914-835-3440
Videographer/Montage/Entrance Video Video Solutions of NY, 516-752-2020
Favors:Do Me A Favour, caridigirls@aol.com
Party entertainment: Jim Cohn, Photo Clings, Coco Events: 631-274-4929
Nail pics: Peter Ziffer, 201-424-5154
Superbooth: Julie Radino, Video Solutions of NY
Magician: Magic Dave, 917-886-6364
Invitations/Menus: Small Fry Press, 914-747-6668
Cake: Lulu Cake Boutique, 914-722-8300
Sign-In board: Yogibo Bean Bags, 877-964-4266
Dresses for family members: Designing Dreams, 516-248-1988
Suits for family members: Nordstrom
Hair/makeup: Rhona Kraus, Susan Esposito, rhonakrauss@aol.com,
–
April 9th, 2013
Mitzvah Market is conducting a survey to better serve our readers.
Your response would be greatly appreciated. In return for completing our short 10-question survey, we will email you a FREE downloadable guide to help plan your Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Please take our survey now, click here.
Please note that this link is uniquely tied to this survey and your email address. Please do not forward this message.
Thank you in advance for your participation!
The Mitzvah Market team
April 9th, 2013
By Lindsey Sklar
This year I will begin attending Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for my friends and family. I’m so excited to write about each unique celebration. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are so much fun and I love looking at all of the different trendy dresses, themes, party favors, and more! I’m very excited to share with everyone all of the unique ideas I see at each and every party!
Recently, I went to my friend Alexa Jill’s Bat Mitzvah. It was definitely unique and I think she had some special touches.
At the service, when everyone walked in they received a cupcake wrapper filled with Hershey’s kisses. On the bottom of the kiss, Alexa’s logo was on a sticker. We also got a custom water bottle with her logo. It was very cute and different.
Her service book was significantly different too. The service did not take place in a synagogue, so they were personalized small pamphlets with a picture of Alexa on the front. Her shirt was color splashed purple and it was definitely cute. The book explained her Mitzvah Project, featured her parents’ message, and her blessings. I really liked that.
Alexa’s cocktail hour started immediately after her service ended. The adults went into their own room and the kids went into the party room. Alexa had a lot of lounge furniture that glowed under black lights. There were also a lot of other entertainment options besides the DJ. She had an airbrush station where you could choose any pattern and any color to have as a temporary tattoo. I really enjoyed that because my friends and I all got matching tattoos.
Another fun piece of entertainment was airbrushing on boxer shorts. Each child was allowed to have one pair of shorts. You got to choose two colors and the word you wanted. Mine are pink and purple and say ‘Dance’ on the behind.
Another entertainment option was a photo booth. Alexa had two green screens set up and four binders filled with different backgrounds. That was definitely the biggest attraction of the night. I took 13 pictures with all of my friends.
Alexa had a very good DJ. The dancers were going around and trying to get all of the seated people to dance. They gave out prizes like glasses and hats-the usual prizes at a Bat Mitzvah.
There wasn’t really a set time for the kids to eat, so the food was out all night. Alexa had a large taco bar, which was amazing, a nacho station, and a dessert station. The taco station had toppings like tomatoes, cheese, salsa, etc. The nacho station was just a standard nacho station. It had regular chips, and you could get a side of cheese or salsa dip. Lastly, the dessert bar. That may have been my favorite out of all of the food. You had a choice of popcorn, a chocolate fountain with crackers and such, and a grape slushie. I was definitely stuffed by the end of that affair.
I was upset when it was time to leave, but I absolutely LOVED the favor! It was a simple black, long sleeved shirt and Alexa’s logo was on the front. It’s definitely a comfortable shirt and I am obsessed with it.
Alexa was flawless and she looked like she had a great time. Mazel Tov to her and her family.
ABOUT LINDSEY
I’m 12 years old, from Bucks County, Pennsylvania and more than halfway through 6th grade. Dancing is my favorite after school activity, whether it’s tap, jazz, ballet, or hip hop. Somehow I’m able to fit in my other hobby, softball, during my busy week. On top of all of that, I do whatever it takes to have time for my friends. My own Bat Mitzvah is coming up soon. It will be taking place in November, 2013. I can’t wait!
April 7th, 2013
Jacob and Zachary Robinson of Florida turned 13 years old in January, 2013.
On March 14, 2013 they celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah in Israel and will be celebrating with a party in Tampa, Florida at the end of April.
After the tragic Sandy Hook shootings, the boys read about an initiative launched by broadcast journalist Ann Curry. Using her extensive Twitter following and Facebook, she suggested Americans perform 26 random acts of kindness to honor each one of the victims.
The twins decided to do their own version of 26 Acts of Kindness for their B’nai Mitzvah project. They recently completed 26 separate acts of kindness in memory and in honor of the 26 victims of Sandy Hook.
We thought this was such a terrific idea and are excited to share this project with our readers. We hope this idea inspires others to do the same!
Pictured above (L-R): Jacob and Zachary in Israel for their B’nai Mitzvah
Here are just a few of the amazing Act of Kindness these boys have done so far. Read about all 26 here.
ACT #2 – In honor of Charlotte Bacon, 6 years old, Jacob and Zachary handed out 26 water bottles to police officers, walkers, and runners on Bayshore Blvd.
ACT #7 – In honor of Dylan Hockley, 6, the boys brought some requested snacks, peanut butter and crackers, into Metropolitan Ministries’ aftercare program. They talked with the kids and even played a card game with one of the younger children.
ACT #11 – In honor of 6 year old Jesse Lewis, Jacob and Zachary made vegetable lasagna and delivered it to a Tampa Firehouse.
ACT #12 – In honor of 6 year old James Mattioli, Jacob and Zachary’s Aunt Donna sent 26 cake pops and the boys distributed them to faculty at Williams’ Middle Magnet for making their school “awesome.”
ACT #13 – On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Jacob and Zachary sat on a couch in a living-room setting at Weinberg Village assisted-living facility, reading to the residents from “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” This was Act No. 13, in honor of 29 year-old Rachel Davino, a behavioral therapist gunned down at the school.
ACT#23 – Jake and Zach played with kids in aftercare at their old JCC preschool in honor of 6 year old Jack Pinto.
ACT #24 – The boys left a gift card in a random cart at a local Publix Supermarket to help a shopper with his groceries, in memory of 6 year old Allison Wyatt.
ACT #26 – Jacob and Zachary played with rescued dogs at the Humane Society in honor of 6 year old Benjamin Wheeler.
We thank the Robinsons for allowing us to share this great idea with our readers. To learn more about this family, check out the Website their Mom created at www.familyrob.us. After finishing the 26th act, the boys say they don’t want it to mean the end of doing random acts of kindness!
April 3rd, 2013
While planning your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah service and celebration, there might be a few curve balls and unexpected surprises.
A family from Chicago contacted us about a problem they encountered and we were able to offer some helpful suggestions that we thought we would share. If they encountered this situation, other readers might as well and we wanted to share what worked for them!
PROBLEM: After their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah invitations were mailed, they realized they neglected to let their guests know the time of the Bat Mitzvah service. Yes, they did approve the copy and no, no one from the invitation company thought to ask why it was missing.
They could have printed another card with a note about the time, and mailed those to their guests, but that would have been an additional expense they didn’t want to incur.
SOLUTION: Write a clever poem and send the correction via email using PaperlessPost.com!
Mazel Tov Peri, we are glad we could help and that your guests will now be on time!
If you have a problem, we are here to help. Reach us at info@mitzvahmarket.com.
March 31st, 2013
A Name is a name is a name…”
By Rabbi Matthew A. Reimer, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, Short Hills, New Jersey
Our names are as much a defining characteristic of who we are as our physical attributes, our likes and dislikes, and our values and personal stories. But, as the Tanchuma text illustrates, that name can change. It can evolve. It can become something new. Becoming a bar/bat mitzvah is just such a moment when all three names meet in one sacred moment.
Our Family Name
Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a significant individual milestone in one’s Jewish life. But it is also much more. It is a moment that becomes a part of one’s family history. At Temple B’nai Jeshurun, we want each of our B’nai Mitzvah students to understand and appreciate that part of what got them to this moment was their family: their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents, their siblings. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s family name can beam with pride having reached this Jewish milestone.
Our Public Name
Ideally, the journey of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a personal and meaningful one. We ask our students to begin to take responsibility for all aspects of this journey, and, of course, we encourage students to begin to think for themselves and bring “themselves” into the process. Students, in consultation with our clergy, and in discussion with their family, determine what aspect of their Torah portion they will speak about from the bimah. Mitzvah projects are highly individualized. Choosing a project that one is passionate about will only add to the meaning gained and, hopefully, will introduce them to a life of Tikkun Olam, of repairing the world.
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s public name gives each student a sense of self, and that self comes with all of its special qualities, its imperfections and its uniqueness…and all of that is sacred.
The Name We Acquire for Ourselves
On Saturday morning, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is called to the Torah with a new name (their Hebrew name followed by the Hebrew words, ‘Ha Bar/Bat Mitzvah’). This new name connects them to the Jewish collective past. He/she is now a part of the chain of tradition that began at Sinai and has been passed down l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation.
A Name is So Much More than a Name…
To help our B’nai Mitzvah students and their families understand their various “names” we have introduced the Family B’nai Mitzvah Class as part of the regular Bar/Bat Mitzvah process. Its goal is for families to experience the Bar/Bat Mitzvah journey together. Families spend four weeks together learning about the history of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service, how to write a d’var Torah, the connection between mitzvot and becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah and personal theology. Families share stories; often ones that the student is hearing for the first time; ask questions and discuss the importance and role our tradition plays in their lives.
On the day our Temple B’nai Jeshurun students become B’nai Mitzvah, they will be called by all three names. We hope and pray that they will understand their names – their family stories, their personal choices and challenges and the values of their tradition – as they come of age and become a Jewish adult.
And this is something that all B’nai Mitzvah students can do as they take this next step in their Jewish journeys.
This story is from the 2012 Mitzvah Market magazine. If you would like a complimentary copy of our magazine, click here.
