Beth Shalom

To Beth Shalom 6th Grade Class Parents,

As part of the 6th Grade Class, your son/daughter is now eligible to begin the process of selecting a date for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah. I am the focal point for this as I maintain the Bnai Mitzvah calendar.  For those of you that have had a previous child go through this process, there have been a few changes since then. Due to High Holidays and Rabbi planned vacation, there are no Bar/Bat Mitzvah during the High Holiday period or from mid-June ----> July or major Holiday weekends... I have the calendar of other blocked dates due to Holiday observances.....

Listed below is the process. If you have any questions or would like me the hold a date while you complete the process, please send me a note to . I can only hold dates for 3 weeks.....

Process Steps

1.    You must attend the Bnai Mitzvah Orientation scheduled for May 18th.  If unable to attend, you will not be able to select a date until you have contacted Rabbi Edery to go through this important information.

2.    To start this process, contact . Hal is the Lead Bnai Mitzvah tutor and he will do a Hebrew Skills Evaluation Test with your child. After that evaluation, a plan for preparing your child for his/her Bar/Bat Mitzvah will be created. At the completion of this evaluation, you will be given the OK to determine what an appropriate date for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah event. There is a spot on the Request for Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date form for Hal to initial. This MUST be completed before the form is submitted to the Temple Office.  The form is available in the Member's section of the Beth Shalom website www.BethShalomNC.org.

3.    Contact to request a date for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah. I maintain the calendar at my work office, so it is best to contact me via e-mail Monday to Friday to make sure of date availability.

4.    Fill out the rest of the "Request for Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date" available from the website above. This form must be completely filled out. If you have already talked to me, you do not need to fill out an alternate date but keep in mind that my acceptance of a date is only tentative. Rabbi Edery, Hal Zenick, and Heidi Goldsobel must all approve the requested date and that does not happen to until after the form has been submitted.... The form must be signed by the Bnai Mitzvah student as well as the parents. Forms will not be accepted without these signatures

5.    Complete the form and return it with the appropriate fees to Beth Shalom Office

6.    The Request for Date is then sent out for approval which will take from 1-3 weeks.

7.    When Step 6 has been completed, I will send out a Confirmation letter to the Requester and then the date is put on the Master Calendar.

That is the Request Process...It is the Parent's responsibility to keep in touch with the Bnai Mitzvah tutors and continue to follow through with the Education Process. Your child is expected to attend tutoring sessions along with Hebrew School. He/She is also expected to attend Services during the Training Process. The more involved everyone is, the more enjoyable the experience will be.......

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Also, please let me know if you are not planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah and I will remove you from my distribution list.

Larry Ginsburg

Bnai Mitzvah Coordinator - Beth Shalom