June 16th, 2010
We recently heard from a proud Mitzvah Mom in Parkland, Florida about her son’s Mitzvah Project. Gavin Krooks will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah this August, but his Military Mitzvah Project and Website are well underway! We asked Gavin to share some information about what he is doing:
MM: Can you give us details of your Mitzvah Project?
GK: For my Mitzvah project, I “adopted” the United States 82nd Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron (82 EASOS).
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project/charity?
GK: It is hard for us to understand exactly what it is that they do over in Iraq. What we can understand is that they are fighting for our freedom, they are very far away from home and in their down time, they like to sit back and relax like the rest of us! I am in contact with Lt. Col. Mark Jablow, currently stationed in Iraq. He has 35 men and women directly under his command and they work in a headquarters manned by approximately 1,000 personnel. My project was to send his squadron and the soldiers they work with some personal items that are hard to get over in Iraq.
Gavin at the US Post Office ready to mail his packages to the troops
The boxes are filled with items requested by the men and women
LT. Col Mark Jablow receiving some of Gavin’s supplies!
MM: In your own words, what does it mean to you to do a Mitzvah Project for your Bar Mitzvah?
GK: To me, becoming a Bar Mitzvah is not only about the Jewish ritual. As Jews, we are also supposed to fulfill the Mitzvah of tzedukah (charity) and tikkun olam, (fixing the world).
MM: If it involves a donation, what are you doing to spreading the word?
GK: My Website A Little Goes A Long Way has all the information.
MM: Anything else we need to know about your Mitzvah Project?
GK: We collected almost $1,000 and were able to send over 14 boxes filled to the brim with lots of great stuff! Some of the packages have already been received in Iraq and as luck would have it, they handed out the goodies at a Memorial Day Celebration for the troops. I am also buying phone cards in bulk and sending them over. Some of the items that the soldiers are requesting are frisbees, novels, magazines and chocolates and the female personnel are asking for scented lotions, shampoos, conditioners and soaps.
If you have any of these items to donate or would like to make a cash donation please send an email to alittlethanks@bellsouth.net or go to the Website at alittlethanksgoesalongway.com for more information.
We would like to thank Gavin’s Mom Robin for sharing her son’s amazing project with our Mitzvah Market readers.
June 14th, 2010
This teenager from Atlanta knew her Bat Mitzvah date (February 14) nearly 3 years in advance. Since her celebration fell on Valentine’s day and she loved animals, she and her Mom came up with the creative theme “Circus of Love.” This Mitzvah Inspire is from Atlanta Occassions Magazine and the creative decor was designed by EventScapes Atlanta. The photography is courtesy of Ric Mershon Photography also of Atlanta.
This beautiful draped sign greeted guests as they walked into the reception
Black and pink bold drapery helped shape venue that reminded them of a circus tent. Notice the trapeze hanging from the ceiling!
Hot pink and hearts were incorporated everywhere, even on the yarmulkes
These carousel place cards were a great way to set the tone and theme
Instead of using flowers they went with hot pink glow sticks in the lounge
The favor sweatshirts incorporated the love logo and date beautifully
We want to thank all the folks in Atlanta who put together this creative and visually inspiring “Circus of Love Bat Mitzvah.
June 10th, 2010
One of the first things your guests will see when entering your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration are the place cards. They come in all types of shapes, sizes and colors. Some are even dual purpose! We searched around the internet to bring you a sampling of options.
We hope these will give you inspiration for your child’s upcoming Mitzvah!
Why not use the place card table itself as an opportunity to wow your guests as soon as they walk into the reception. Here are some ideas we have found online to add some fun and creativity to your place card presentation without breaking the bank.
These colorful mini-parasols in the sand are DIY from Martha Stewart
These “Please Take Your Seat” place cards are literal! They are also DIY from Martha Stewart’s Website
These lounge chairs are too cute not to include and are also from Martha!
Who wouldn’t want to sit in this inviting mini beach chair from Beau-Coup
How about some dual purpose place cards from Family Affair Distributing Inc. Shown here is the Hershey bar, the “kiss” box, a water bottle and an altoid tin
We found this paper sailboat on PieceOfCakeParties
We have reported about ThemeNaps in the past and now their napkins can serve as place cards too
Let these adorable smarties from CandyTorahs.com serve as place cards for your party!
If you had a creative place card idea for your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah that you would like to share with MitzvahMarket.com, please let us know at info@MitzvahMarket.com.
June 10th, 2010
This Mitzvah Project profile is due to the combined efforts of best friends Justin Fromme and Ryan Capps (pictured left). They have known each other for 10 years and have been training in martial arts for the past seven.
They decided to hold a kick-a-thon on January 23, 2010 and together they raised $3550.00 for the KICKSTART KIDS organziation. Please continue reading to learn more about their amazing project in their own words:
MM: Can you give us details of your Mitzvah Project?
J&R: This Mitzvah Project was a team effort, because we decided to perform ours together. Our Bar Mitzvah dates are just a few weeks apart, we are best friends and have many of the same interests. So when it came time to think about social action, it was easy: combine our shared love of karate with our social action responsibility. So we found an organization called Kickstart, which was founded by Chuck Norris.
Kickstart provides martial arts training programs for underprivileged children. With Kickstart karate programs, these children achieve better grades, have better attendance and graduation records, and are given the tools they need to help stay away from gangs, drugs and other negative influences. We are both junior black belts in Kaizen karate. We both know what this type of training and commitment has done for us, and wanted to help make this possible for at-risk kids that could really benefit from it. So we decided to hold a kick-a-thon at our karate school to raise money for Kickstart.
MM: Why did you decide to take on this particular project/charity?
J&R: We wanted to find a way to incorporate our love of martial arts, plus the ability we have to help others, with our social action responsibility.
MM: In your own words, what does it mean to you to do a Mitzvah Project for your Bar Mitzvah?
J&R: It means giving back to the community that has given so much to us.
Making a donation to a great cause!
Participants kicking away at their kick-a-thon!
MM: If it involves a donation, what are you doing to spreading the word?
R&J: Every student at our karate school was encouraged to participate, by getting sponsors to pledge either a flat donation or a certain amount of money per kick. We made posters and flyers and pledge sheets. We spoke at every karate class to both the kids and the parents, telling them about the organization and how we could help. Each kid had to see how many kicks they could perform in 60 seconds.
MM: For how long can people donate to this charity?
J&R: We have already submitted the donations we collected to Kickstart, but people can donate to this wonderful organization at anytime through their website.
MM: Anything else we need to know about your Mitzvah Project?
J&R: The Kickstart organization was so impressed by what we did that they are using our story as a motivational tool for their instructors and current students. Our story was also featured in their March newsletter and on their Website. We could not have done it without the help of all our teammates at our dojo, Top Gun Karate in Manhasset, NY, their families and our amazing teacher, Shihan Tony Morrison. Together, we kicked our way into changing people’s lives.
We want to thank Justin and Ryan for sharing their terrific Mitzvah Project with Mitzvah Market. It was actually a Mitzvah Market reader who wrote in to tell us about this project, if you know of child who we can profile, just let us know at Sheri@MitzvahMarket.com.
June 7th, 2010
The Gordon family celebrated son Jack’s Bar Mitzvah on January 10, 2015, at Washington Hebrew Congregation, in Washington, DC.
Jack loves to ski and play tennis so when thinking about his Bar Mitzvah celebration, the family knew this themed event would be the perfect way to share his favorite hobbies with his favorite people.
There were some really unique pieces that were part of the day that added some love and fun including an 8 foot tall sign-in board covered in tennis balls in the shape of a “J” that was made by Jack and his grandfather.
Pictured L-R: Bar Mitzvah boy Jack, Dad Scott, Mom Amy and Brother Henry.
Bradley Images was the photographer and the rest of the vendor information is listed at the end of the spotlight.
The family worked with Lee Altobello of Invitinglee on the navy and apple green invitation which set the tone for the entire event. The logo creatively incorporated Jack’s favorite sports
The envelope featured custom calligraphy by Halo Calligraphy
Jack participated in a Havdalah service and recited his Haftorah and prayers beautifully
Guests found suede tennis ball kippot in a white acrylic tray
The perfect combination for Jack’s theme was tennis and skiing. The family worked with iSparkleEvents on the logo and party details, which were carried out throughout the party.
The logo as an ice sculpture
Select Event Decor created the ballroom look and filled decor with tennis and skiing elements and accents. This included large snowflakes, icicles, skis, tennis balls and racquets in a royal blue and lime green color palette. The kids’ lounge area was filled with white comfy furniture
Laser cut snowflakes hung from the ceiling
Foam snowballs filled the acrylic base of the centerpiece
The kids’ bar had Jack’s logo front and center which coordinated with the color scheme
The light-up bar featured silhouettes of Jack playing tennis and skiing
There was an astro-turf couch in the lounge
iSparkleEvents helped the family brand the party with some great details. Napkins, coffee cup and straws with Jack’s logo
The amazing “J” sign-in was made of tennis balls created by Jack and his Grandpa Steve. The family collected used tennis balls from several area tennis clubs and they spent several hours together sawing wood and attaching each tennis ball
Guests signed-in
Kids had a great time dancing with DJ Chad from Washington Talent. Jack made his way into the ballroom
Jack up in the chair for the Horah
If you’re a fan of American Idol, the dancer on the left may look familiar – she’s Shi Scott
Jack posed with his family on the dance floor
There were great LED giveaways
To go with the ski theme, there was an airbrush ski hat station. Guests also loved participating in the green screen with talk box signs that they could use to send a special message. Airbrush artist worked on a ski hat
You don’t know Jack!
All of Jack’s guests loved the ice cream cart for dessert. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a candy bar and Krispy Kreme station at the end of the party
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Jack’s friends dug into the candy buffet wearing their airbrushed ski hats
Each one of Jack’s friends received a logo’d grey hooded sweatshirt from iSparkleEvents
Some advice from Mom Amy:
“Getting help along the way makes the event even more special. Friends and family helped us with many pieces of the event. From advice on vendors to creative ideas that helped to make Jack’s day special. We had some really unique pieces that were part of the day that added some love and fun including a 8 foot tall sign-in covered in tennis balls in the shape of a “J” that was made by Jack’s grandfather. His grandmother pitched in with a bathroom basket, a friend brought in donuts late night for all the guests and another brought original hot pretzels all the way from Philadelphia. The outpouring of support to help celebrate Jack was amazing.”
Here is the list of vendors who made Jack’s party special. If you call any, please make sure you tell them that you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com.
Venue: Washington Hebrew Congregation, 202-362-7100
Party Coordination and Planning/Favors: Ali Weitzman, iSparkleEvents, 240-393-3394
Photographer: Bradley Images, 410-902-6664
Music Entertainment: Marcie Robinson, DJ Chad, Washington Talent, 301-762-1800
Decor: Select Event Group, 301-604-2334
Catering: Cava Catering, 240-305-6364
Ice Cream Cart: Berliner Specialty Distributors, 301-927-4444
Invitations: InvitingLee, 301-646-1357
Ice Sculpture: Ice Lab Sculptures,410-746-1595
Calligraphy: Halo Calligraphy, 214-676-8717
Airbrush: Carbone Entertainment, 301-572-7717
Sign-in Tennis Ball Board: Jack’s Grandpa Steve and Bar Mitzvah boy Jack
Cocktail Music: Kevin Mittleman
Mom’s Dress: Neiman Marcus
Boys Suits: Nordstrom
Hair/makeup: Rick Perez
Transportation: Atlantic Transportation
June 1st, 2010
The Berger Family celebrated their daughter Jordyn’s Bat Mitzvah on May 1, 2010 at Old Westbury Golf and Country Club in Old Westbury, New York.
They wanted an elegant black-tie party with a “club” feel, and with the help of Parties by Pat James they were thrilled with the outcome.
We want to thank them for sharing all their ideas with our Mitzvah Market readers.
Featured L-R: Sister Alexa, Dad Steven, Bat Mitzvah girl Jordyn, Mom Nicole and brother Tyler.
All party photography was done by Rebecca Weiss. The rest of the Mitzvah vendor information is listed at the bottom of the spotlight.
Mitzvah Invitation, Style & Venue
Jordyn’s Bat Mitzvah was held at the elegant Old Westbury Country Club.
The invitation was created by Ellen Futterman from Proper Notice.
Mom Nicole found her stunning CD Greene dress by working with personal shopper Rhonda Marinoff. Jordyn and Alexa had their dresses custom made by Anna B in Old Westbury
Bat Mitzvah girl Jordyn was hiding a secret from guests for most of her party. Her beautiful long gown turned into something fun and shorter after her father/daughter dance
Jordyn in her cocktail dress
Part of the cocktail hour was held in this tented area
A Jordyn ice sculpture!
Mitzvah Details
Parties by Pat James transformed the ballroom at Old Westbury Country club into a hip “South Beach” feel using drapes and lounge set-ups with mirrored tables and white leather furniture and accents of light blue.
Jordyn awaiting the arrival of her guests
Some of the adults were seated at round tables with beautiful centerpieces
A close-up of one of the lounge furniture groupings
The room is ready!
A beautiful silk monogrammed pillow added a personal touch
Parties by Pat James created this oversized sign-in pillow using a picture from her photo session with Rebecca Weiss
Friends are signing in!
Music & Entertainment
After a fun “entrance video” created by VSofNY played, Jordyn made a grand entrance into her party. The music was provided by Parties by Pat James.
Jordyn's silhouette appears on the screen!
She begins her entrance...
She has arrived at her party!
MC Andy giving the Bat Mitzvah girl a chance to sing
Bat Mitzvah girl Jordyn dancing with her family and friends
Jordyn surrounded by her friends
Instead of a cake, the Berger's had beautiful floating votive candles as part of their candle lighting ceremony
Mitzvah Favor
Sweatshirt favors for Jordyn’s friends were designed by Holly of Infinity.
Jordyn's friends model her sweatshirts
Photo booth provided by Parties By Pat James
Young guests could also have their initials/names etched onto various pieces of jewelry and pens
And...you could pick a design and have a t-shirt pillow made!
Vendor Directory
Here is a list of the Mitzvah Vendors who helped make Jordyn’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you call any of them, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com. Thanks!
Venue: Old Westbury Golf and Country Club 516-626-1810
Party Planner: Parties by Pat James 631-642-9222 or 212-337-1911
Music: MC Andy from Parties by Pat James
Favors: Holly Green/Infinity 516-374-1180
Photographer: Rebecca Weiss Photography 347-245-0824
Entrance Video: Video Specialities of New York 516-752-2020
Invitation: Ellen Futterman Proper Notice 516-621-9523
Décor/florist: Parties By Pat James
Sign-in pillow: Parties By Pat James
Dresses girls: AnnaB 516-680-6609
Personal Shopper: Rhonda Marinoff 212-688-9188 or 516-356-2780
Suits for family members: Lesters 516-626-1161
Tuxedos: Victor Talbots
Hair: Alexis, Shelly & Victoria, Mith Salon 516-750-5005
Makeup: Ellen at Sorell Salon
May 26th, 2010
Hi all!
The Vatske family from Long Island planned a fun candy themed Bat Mitzvah in honor of their daughter Marin on September 26, 2009. The service was held at the family’s synagogue, Temple Beth Sholom in Smithtown, New York with a Saturday night reception at the Hamlet Willow Creek in Mt. Sinai, New York.
Mom Tara was the party planner for her daughter’s Mitzvah, a daunting task, but with lots of creativity, attention to detail and the use of the internet she was able to find some fabulous cost savings ideas and created a beautiful and unique party for her friends and family.
We would like to thank the Vatske family for sharing their ideas with Mitzvah Market!
Party photography was done by Classy Candids. All vendor information is at the bottom.
Pictured from left to right: Brother Ethan, Mom Tara, Bat Mitzvah girl Marin and Dad Bruce.
Mitzvah Mom Tara and daughter Marin both look beautiful in their gowns from Magic Moments. Dad Bruce and brother Ethan look equally dashing in their tuxedos from Rogers Tuxedo.
The beautiful invitation is from Sealed with a Kiss.
The front of the invitation had this beautiful bow
The invitation featured lime green and chocolate brown colors
Marin’s reception took place at the Willow Creek Hamlet Golf & Country Club. Mom Tara raved about Catering Manager Barbara!
Willow Creek Hamlet Golf & Country Club
Shown below are some of the various ways Mitzvah Mom Tara incorporated the candy theme into the party. She created the place cards herself and purchased the supplies from Michael’s Arts & Craft’s. Each card featured a piece of candy which represented the table guests would be seated at. The place card also said the name of the candy.
The place cards are ready for the party!
All of the kid’s tables were M&M’s. Five of the kid’s tables were represented by silver, brown, light pink, dark pink and white M&M’s. Marin’s table had 3 colors. Each adult table were represented by a different pink candy
She created this map to show guests where their tables were located. The map was displayed on an easel next to the card table
Mom Tara created sign-in cards which were placed into a scrapbook after the party
A sample card from the “scrapbook”
Tara also made the picture montage of Marin which was displayed at the reception
The ballroom all dressed and ready for a party!
Centerpiece bases filled with candy
Each table was named after a candy
Vases filled with silver foiled Hershey candy kisses completed the candy theme! The pink candy (Good and Plenty, Laffy Taffy, Jelly Beans, Chocolate Balls etc.) in the middle represented the table
The entertainment and music was provided by Party Harty with Howie as the MC.
Bat Mitzvah girl Marin and brother Ethan up on stage with the dancers
Marin enjoying herself in the middle of all the action…
With a little help from her Mom, Marin made a quick change from her Bat Mitzvah service and cocktail hour dress into her beautiful blue gown
Dessert was really sweet and included this beautiful topsy-turvy chocolate brown and pink cake created by the Rolling Pin Bakery. All candy on the candy bar went with the color scheme and was pink, brown and silver.
Once again Mom Tara got her creative juices flowing and made the pink labels on the chocolate brown Chinese takeout food favor boxes which read, “Sweet Dreams” and “Hugs and kisses from Marin” with the date.
Tara purchased all of the favor bags, gift tags, crinkle paper and Chinese food takeout containers (for candy) from samplehousecatalog.com. She also ordered all the labels which were used for favor bags, gift tags, hotel bags and water bottles (for adults) from onlinelabels.com.
The cake looks too good to eat!
Looks like Marin wants the fabulous candy bar all to herself!
The Vatske’s offered many unique candy themed favors to their guests.
Sweatshirts with Marin’s candy theme above and below…
The back of the sweatshirt listed songs that were also on a CD which was given to guests as they left
Adorable personalized “Candy Torahs” made with sweet tarts
Each guest also received a “candy quiz” with their favor bag with questions like:
1) A long race? Answer = Marathon Bar
2) Andy Pettite and Joba Chamberlain live here on game days? Answer = Mounds
3) Dustin Hoffman somersaults? Answer = Tootsie Rolls
As if that wasn’t enough, guests were given toothbrushes of course – with a note from Marin “Don’t forget to brush!”
Marin gave each guest a CD to listen to on the way home. The first track was a message from Marin recorded at the Vatske home using Garage Band on the Mac. She thanked everyone for coming and sharing this special occasion with her. Marin “signed off” by saying “Good night, sweet dreams and “chocolate hugs and kisses.”
Marin and her dad enjoying some alone time.
Marin loved taking a picture with her Dad in the golf cart before the party started
Tara and Marin wore another version of their candy theme at a brunch the day after her Bat Mitzvah. These were given to them by Tara’s best friend Beth
For Marin’s Mitzvah Project, she collected food for the food pantry at her temple. She created a sheet attached to large paper grocery bags for placement on pews during Rosh Hashanah (her Bat Mitzvah was Shabbat Shuvah). She also asked each guest to bring an item to the temple or party location.
We asked Mom Tara for some advice now that the planning is behind her. This is what she told us, “Since you want your friends/family to remember this event, concentrate on the entertainment and special touches. Ask yourself these questions, “Will “x” be missed if we don’t do it?” “Is it something everyone will really remember?” “Does it make a difference?” If you can – enlist a friend to help with some items if you are doing it yourself like rolling up sweatshirts, glue gunning items, bringing things to location, etc. Beth was a godsend!”
Here is a list of the Mitzvah vendors who helped make Marin’s Bat Mitzvah special. If you call any of them, please let them know you read about their services on MitzvahMarket.com. Thanks!
Venue: Hamlet Willow Creek, 631-474-9200
DJ/MC: Party Harty 516-845-8585
Party entertainment: Photos – That’s Entertainment Concepts, (through Party Harty) 516-845-8585
Invitation: Sealed with a Kiss 516-921-7227
Cake: Rolling Pin Bakery 631-689-2253
Photographer: Classy Candids 516- 777-3337
Décor/florist: Bayport Flower House 631-472-0014
Sweatshirts: Schwabs 2nd wind Screen Printing 631-331-4532
Toothbrushes: Dr. Ross Gruber 631- 289-9000
Candy Torahs: CandyTorah.com 800-965-6652
Favor Bags/Chinese take-out boxes: samplehousecatalog.com
Labels for everything: onlinelabels.com
Dresses for family members: Magic Moments 631-474-2647
Suits for family members: Tuxedos from Rogers Tuxedo 631-467-1177
Hair: Sivana Salon 631-584-2408
Makeup: Dana Curtin 631-767-3050
May 21st, 2010
Our past stories have included a Mitzvah Trend feature on candy bars and 5 tips on how to make your own Candy Buffet on a budget. Today’s Mitzvah Inspire is all about delicious looking dessert tables from sought after event designer Amy Atlas. Forget about those old boring Viennese tables, Amy Atlas, who is located in New York City, specializes in creating high end dessert tables.
She is not a pastry chef but an event planner who focuses on all things desserts. A former attorney with no design background, she designs and bakes desserts that fit right into the décor of your party. She pairs yummy treats with beautiful linens, jars and backdrops that are a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth.
Please check out some of her beautiful work below, we hope it will give you some ideas for your child’s upcoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah or any type of party you might be throwing. See pictures below:
This fall table features witch cupcakes, ghost brownies, pumpkin bark and spider-webbed candy apples. An urn filled with branches created an area to hang custom, stamped bags filled with Halloween candy
Snowflakes and lavendar was the theme for this Bat Mitzvah
Pucci inspired design includes custom cupcake tower, custom popcorn cone bar and custom cotton candy sticks
This modern display features a graphic cake, custom yellow and black chocolates, licorice mints, lemon cupcakes and brilliant, yellow gerber daisies
Check out this colorful moroccan dessert table which includes moroccan tea glasses with orange creamsicle panna cotta, a moroccan-inspired cake, Khab El Ghzal (a Moroccan specialty), as well as mum topiaries
Is your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah Thanksgiving Day weekend? This Thanksgiving Dessert Table has great ideas! There are turkey cookies, pilgrim cupcakes, mayflower boats filled with pumpkin candies, mini caramel & sugar-dusted pears, and apple cider with cinnamon sticks
For more, check out Amy’s terrific Website.
May 21st, 2010
Talk about personalization…check out Parker’s Crazy Cookies.
This company takes a photo and then creates a cookie in that image!
The taste is close to animal crackers but they are people crackers. The cookies are kosher and vegan. We really like the company’s slogan: “Where you can be a cookie and we can make it happen!”
A Parker’s Crazy Cookie customer and her cookie creation!
A Bar Mitzvah boy who likes guitars!
The cookies come individually wrapped in a cellophane bag with a customized label and they need 2-3 weeks lead time, minimum 25 bags per design.
They also have a Jewish collection for $2.99 a bag and you can customize the front sticker for $20.00 more
Parker’s Crazy Cookies are great as party favors with a glass of milk and please go ahead…bite their head off!
May 21st, 2010
We found a great product at the recent Stationery Show that solves a Mitzvah gift problem!
Recently, we gave you a Mom-to-Mom tip about what to do with all those gift envelopes, but here’s another alternative.
The Picture Card Box from Kelly Mare Collections is a picture frame card box that can be used in a number of ways: as gift holder and even as a container to hold special messages written by guests to the Bar or Bat Mitzvah child.
After receiving your Perfect Card Box, you follow their easy assembly instructions, insert a photo and you are all set. All Perfect Card Boxes come with a decorative lock and key for added security plus once the gift card is inserted into the card box it is out of site behind your pictures.
The card box is made from a wood composite. The outside of the box measures 12.375″ x 12.375″ x 13.25″. Each side of the card box has an opening allowing you to insert four 8″ x 10″ photos. The card slot is on the top of the box.
The bottom of the card box is attached to a rotating base allowing it to turn for your guests to see all the pictures no matter where they are sitting!
Learn more by visiting their Website.
