Melisa Imberman, president of The Event of a Lifetime, Inc. recently created a football themed Bar Mitzvah that we wanted to share.
X-Quisite Flowers and Events assisted with the decor and did a great job tackling all the football elements. The venue was the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, New Jersey.
“Are you ready for some football?”
Guests picked up their place cards which were attached to these Number #1 foam hands on the turf table with a giant goal post and the Bar Mitzvah boy’s logo
The blue and red decor was a nod to the Bar Mitzvah boy’s favorite team, the New York Giants. The kids’ lounge was a great place to hang out
Large poster style pictures of the Bar Mitzvah boy were placed on tables throughout the room and lit up
Bleacher seating with custom stadium pads and a custom mural of the Bar Mitzvah boy at Giants Stadium
Concession signage against the draped wall
Custom logo rally towels were on the back of each chair
The obvious choice for the #1 Draft Pick
Over-sized yellow goal posts and light up box centerpieces customized with the Bar Mitzvah boy’s logo on each of the adult tables
Great dance floor for dancing
The dancers were ready to go in their referee shirts and the signage above the dance floor resembled the stadium scoreboard
We thank Melisa for sharing this football themed celebration with our readers.
Seventh-graders at Chicago Jewish Day School and best friends Ariana Handelman and Marc Luban will celebrate their Bat and Bar Mitzvah this November at Anshe Emet Synagogue on Chicago’s North Side.
They want the day to stand out, but not with a big party. So instead of a huge bash, they decided to design and raise money to build a playground at a church in Bronzeville, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.
For the community service project, both Ariana and Marc have spent countless hours on playgrounds, and want all kids to have the same opportunities.
Ariana and Marc want their combined Bat and Bar Mitzvah party to be a “Playground Build Day.” They are hoping to invite their families and friends to Bright Star Church on Chicago’s South Side to build a playground in one day, from the ground up. Anshe Emet and Bright Star members will join in the day which will be coordinated by the playground experts from KaBOOM!
The space where the new playground will be built
A fundraiser through Indiegogo has been established seeking to raise $30,000 for the playground on the property. So far they have raised over 37,000!
Instead of receiving monetary gifts for their B’nai Mitzvahs, they are asking for donations to the playground. While there will be small celebrations after their B’nai Mitzvahs, their parents will kick in money that would have gone to a party to the playground effort.
“It was really meaningful how all these people were trying to make the world a better place,” Ariana said. “Even though we were different people in different communities, we all had the same goal.”
Click here for more information on this great Mitzvah project and to go directly to the fundraising page.
In no time, the Fall Bar Bat Mitzvah celebrations will be back in full swing. Are you wondering what the hot new Mitzvah treat will be?
BizBash, the leading trade media for the event planning industry, just reported on some of the new edible favor trends.
All of these ideas can be customized with your child’s logo.
Check out some of these treats that you might be seeing on the circuit near you!
Customize two-bite macaroons from Dana’s Bakery with your event colors, logo, favorite flavors or image
Each custom logo s’more kit, $4.50, from Candy With a Twist, contains all the ingredients, including a branded marshmallow. Kits can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada
Veronica’s Treats will transfer any logo or photo to the top of a fresh baked cookie which are glazed with white chocolate
Made from scratch, dipped by hand customized cake pops from Haute So Sweet are available in great flavors like Cookie Dough and Birthday Cake
Guests will gobble up the gooey goodness of Madyson’s Marshmallows. The individually wrapped, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, from $2 each, arrive topped with logos and can be shipped nationwide
Edible Gifts Plus offers take-out containers, $8.50 each, filled with two hand-dipped fortune cookies, which can be customized with an edible logo and matching sprinkles. Shipping is available nationwide
Did you have a fabulous edible favor at your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah celebration? Let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
The Granola Bar, a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and brunch in Westport, Connecticut, now has it’s own truck and can travel to your child’s Bar Bat Mitzvah reception.
Julie Levitt and Dana Noorily are two Westport, Connecticut moms with years of combined business experience and a passion for food. They first co-founded Oats Granola, currently sold at Whole Foods.
Their purple truck can function as a full off-premise catering truck. They can do everything from exit treats like Frozen Hot Chocolate, S’mores Bar and home made Rice Krispie treats to a Sunday brunch of bagels and salmon, specialty coffee and smoothies.
The truck can travel anywhere in Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, for private parties. They can do a set menu or a truck fee and work ala carte for pricing.
The Moms with their very popular granola
Homemade Granola with a side of yogurt and fresh fruit
Extensive menu of delicious coffees, smoothies, wraps and…
Yummy cupcakes
Amazing assortment of baked goods
Mobile kitchen serves up specialty coffee drinks, smoothies, baked goods, yogurt parfaits and more!
For more information on The Granola Bar food truck check out their website, The Granola Bar or call them at 203-906-2244
We read about a great project that we couldn’t wait to share from Brookline Wicked Local.
Jack Friedman, a 7th grade student from Brookline, Massachusetts, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on June 14, 2014.
For his Mitzvah Project, he collected and donated more than 300 boxes of cereal to the Pine Street Inn located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Pine Street Inn serves more than 1,600 homeless individuals daily and 9,500 annually, providing the full spectrum of services to help men and women reach their highest level of independence and get back to a place they can call home.
Picture at left: Jack Friedman stands in front of a van filled with cereal he collected for the Pine Street Inn.
We asked Jack some question to learn more about his Mitzvah Project:
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project? JF: Every person becoming a Bar Mitzvah is expected to perform a mitzvah, a good deed or a charitable act. I chose the Pine Street Inn because of my family’s previous relationship and connections. Ever since I was born, my family has been supporting the Pine Street Inn. My dad tells me he feels we are lucky and we need to give to less fortunate people. Representatives from the homeless shelter estimate that my donation would supply breakfast to about 500 people over three days.
MM: Why did you chose cereal? JF: I chose cereal because there was a big need for breakfast, and also the fact that I eat cereal for breakfast nearly every day myself. When I first heard out about this from the staff at Pine Street Inn, they told me one other person does this. They challenged me to get more boxes than this other person. No way I was going to let this other person beat me! I jumped to start this project as soon as I could.
MM: How did you go about getting the donations? JF: We did a school fundraiser at Baker where I challenged each class to donate as many boxes as they could. I spoke at my temple, Temple Emeth, and asked that they contribute. They were nice enough to let me put a large donation box in the entrance. It filled up quickly, so I had to ask my parents to help me empty it. I play for the Brookline PeeWee hockey team, and many of my teammates helped me too.
Jack and his donations
We thank the Friedman family for sharing this great Mitzvah project with our readers and Mazel Tov on your recent Bar Mitzvah, Jack!
Most little girls dream of being a fairy princess. One girl got that dream with the help of Linzi Etzion of Linzi Events in Boca Raton, Florida.
Linzi is a renowned event planner based in South Florida, but works nationwide and used her “fairy god-mother” abilities to transform this Bat Mitzvah celebration into a “live” fairy tale. Collaborating with The Event Group, Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the room was transformed into a magical forest filled with trees, butterflies posted on balls of roses and of course mirrors, mirrors on every wall.
This is not your typical Bat Mitzvah theme, but boy is it creative!
Combining the Bat Mitzvah girl’s initials with a theme based on the hit CBS show, CSI: Miami, they created a celebration filled with unique ideas for LSI: Denver!
So get your lab coats on and don’t worry, no one gets hurt!
WM Events designed a contemporary scene at the Ritz Carlton Denver making a laboratory with sleek lucite, elaborate LED lighting, and elements all with a touch of hot pink and orange.
With the fighting in the Middle East it’s hard for those of us in the United States to know what to do or how to reach out to Israel.
If your child is currently looking for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah Project, this is a good time to consider “Tikkun Olam” meaning “repair the world.” It reminds us that along with the celebration, we can all take part in healing the world.
Here are just a few great charities and organizations that support those fighting on behalf of Israel.
American Friends of Magen David Adom supports the lifesaving efforts of Magen David Adom in Israel which is the national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service similar to The Red Cross. The name means “Red Star of David.” The American organization raises more than $20 million annually for the Israeli group.
Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces (FIDF) makes it easy to organize a Mitzvah Project to benefit the IDF soldiers. During one part of the program you will learn about the soldiers, develop leadership skills, and have a lot of fun! There is a range of possible Mitzvah Projects – sporting events, bake sales, walk-a-thons, fashion shows, events with visiting Israeli soldiers – and FIDF will provide the guidance and assistance to ensure that whatever project you choose to do, it will be a great success. FIDF programs fund educational scholarships; provide social services and financial aid to distressed young soldiers to help their families stay afloat; and support special programs for the children and families of fallen soldiers.
Israel Gives is the world’s main Website for donating to Israel. Here, you can search for and donate online to any of Israel’s 30,000 non-profit organizations. Your donation is safe, secure, and helps support the organizations and causes in Israel you care about most.
Kids for Kids helps Jewish children who have been victims of terrorism in Israel. In addition, KIDS FOR KIDS encourages Jewish youth the world over to get involved in helping to relieve the suffering of their Israeli counterparts. Their mission is to foster supportive activities like teen support groups and clubs, creative therapeutic activities, hospital visits, home-care, psychological clinics, or direct help in the form of supplies or financial gifts for families in need, Kids For Kids is there supporting those who have felt the damaging affects of terrorism.
The Lone Soldier Center was established in Israel to support these members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The Center volunteers are working around the clock to arrange hospital visits to Lone Soldiers (they don’t have relatives to be with them), to help parents who have traveled to Israel to be near their Lone Soldier children, and to purchase and deliver the basic staples needed to keep these brave young people at the ready to defend the Jewish homeland.
OneFamily is an Israel-based philanthropic organization that helps those Israeli victims of militant attacks – those who have been bereaved, those who have been injured, and those suffering from post-trauma as a result of militant attacks. OneFamily provides direct financial, legal, and emotional assistance to Israeli victims of terrorism. OneFamily is the family member every victim wishes they had: listening to their problems with a sensitive ear; giving because we want to, based upon need, and maintaining ongoing, unconditional one-on-one contact.
Pizza IDF allows you to send warm food to active duty soldiers who, day after day, are fighting terror and protecting the all Jewish people. Over the last two years they have delivered thousands of pizza pies (and other food too) to many thousands of soldiers. It goes well beyond getting a hot pizza or soup late at night at a lonely post. It is as tremendous an experience to give them out as it is for the soldiers to receive them. And they love to know that people everywhere support and care for them.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel is known as “the Hospital with a Heart” for its century-long reputation for treating patients with special kindness and care. We treat over 250,000 people a year and have treated over 40% of those injured in terrorist attacks. Shaare Zedek does not receive any government funding for new equipment or to update its facilities. The Hospital is supported through the generosity of donors throughout the United States and around the world.
Jewish National Fund/Operation Protective Edge Launched in Israel so you can make your voice heard. Rockets continue to fall on Israel in the worst escalation of violence in months. In response, the IDF has launched Operation Protective Edge, aimed at retrieving stability for the residents of Israel, eliminating Hamas’ capabilities and destroying terror infrastructure that operates against the State of Israel and its civilians. Jewish National Fund has launched an emergency campaign to assist Israel’s citizens all over the country.
The Good People Fund is guided by the philosophy that a simple act of kindness can make a world of difference. They identify good people doing great work-on a personal scale-and connect them with donors seeking creative ways to help those in need. Their grantees, primarily in Israel and the United States, are small, grass-roots non-profits run by dedicated individuals unwilling to accept the status quo. With the onset of the war, the needs in Israel have multiplied, and the Good People Fund has responded by stepping up its efforts to help those in Israel who reside “in the corners”, often hidden from view. Their war-related work has focused on the following programs, all of which lend themselves to Mitzvah Projects: 1) Rosa Naveh, a family therapist in Sderot who works with parents and children at risk; 2) Fund for Needy Immigrants founded by Maya Englert, in Beersheva, a particularly hard-hit city where the need for hot meals and counseling are urgent; and 3) Tzvika Levy who supports the chayalim bodedim (lone soldiers) by offering moral and physical support and an occasional barbecue for soldiers guarding the border; and 4) The Amuta for the Emotional Support of Girlfriends and Fiancees of FallenIDF Soldiers led by Phyllis Heimowitz and her daughter Tamar, who provide therapy and support to the increased number of bereaved girlfriends now resulting from the death of so many soldiers. Should you have any questions about these or other urgent as well as ongoing Good People Fund efforts in Israel, please contact the Executive Director, Naomi Eisenberger, at 973-761-0580.
Did your child do a meaningful Mitzvah Project that you would like to share with our readers? Let us know at info@mitzvahmarket.com and we will feature them in a Mitzvah Project spotlight story.
The McDonnell family from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, celebrated with a destination Bat Mitzvah service and trip for daughter Madison Wynter on March 27, 2013.
The celebration started on the Norwegian Epic as family and close friends cruised to the historic St. Thomas Synagogue for a their Bat Mitzvah service. After the service there was a Caribbean style celebration and more fun back on the cruise ship.
Then on June 15, 2013, there was a party at RHO Waterfront in Trenton, New Jersey, for Madison’s local friends and family.
While all this might seem overwhelming, it was a breeze for Mom Beth who is a travel agent and plans destination Bar and Bat Mitzvahs!
Pictured L-R: Mom Beth, Bat Mitzvah girl Madison, Sister Jade and Dad Greg.
Elisa Orin was the photographer in St. Thomas and Jenn Ericson was the photographer in New Jersey. The rest of the vendor information is listed at the bottom of the spotlight.
The Carlson Craft pocket invitation featured a pink font.
Madison’s service was held at The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas. Built in 1833, it is the second oldest synagogue and longest in continuous use now under the American flag.
Madison receiving the Torah
A historic landmark
With its sand-covered floor, the 210-year-old synagogue is a beautiful place for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah service
The McDonnell women wore vibrant island chic dresses and looked great.
An open air taxi brought guests to the reception at a waterfront restaurant on St. Thomas.
On their way to the waterfront restaurant
The Grande Cru restaurant located in the Yacht Haven Grand section of the Island was the perfect spot to celebrate after the Bat Mitzvah service
In the evening, back on the ship, there was a private cocktail reception honoring Madison which turned out to be one of their favorite memories
Dinner took place at the Moderno Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse on the Norwegian Epic
All guests in matching t-shirts on the ship
The t-shirt favors read, “I Rocked the Beat at Madison’s Bat Mitzvah.”
All wrapped up and ready to be given out to guests
Back home, Madison’s family and friends celebrated with a great party at RHO Waterfront located on the Delaware River.
The pink and black color scheme looked great.
Place cards with a bit of bling
The black table cloths and clear vases with LED lights and hot pink feathers really popped
Madison’s name spelled out and the pink up lighting gave the space a real club feel
The sign-in board was a poster of Madison at different ages.
Madison enthusiastically making her way into the reception through confetti.
MC Adam of A Sharp Productions brought high energy and the dancers were awesome.
A great array of dessert options were available at the end of the night!
The desserts were awesome and plentiful
Show Me the Favors created these great shirts.
Madison helped stomp out hunger by participating in the 3rd annual I Run for Food. She helped raise money and gathered walkers and runners to help local food pantries in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Madison will continue to help in the 2014 I Run For Food which is a 5k/1 mile race that is open to all ages.
Madison’s team
Some advice from Mom Beth: “We were overwhelmed with joy and pride from the events of the day. To top it all off most of the guests said a toast to Madison as she stood surrounded by all her family and friends that joined us. The heartwarming stories and love for Madison was so overwhelming. Enjoy every moment! Do not sweat the small stuff.”
The following vendors made Madison’s celebration very special. If you give any of them a call, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
