Road
and then forget it in a couple of years,
sometimes they're just chanting and
don't know what they're saying. But I'm
going to remember this for a long time."
At Workmen's Circle, students have
been celebrating b'nai mitzvah for 20
years. The long-term research project
can be on any Jewish-related topic.
Workmen's Circle Education Director
Jan Adler describes the project —
which spans a year and is supervised
by a mentor from the congregation —
as "a journey."
"The goal is to make them feel con-
nected to the broader Jewish world,"
she said.
Because Workmen's Circle is Yiddish
in its focus, students incorporate the
mamaloshen, rather than Hebrew, into
their projects. Generally, it's a Yiddish
poem or short story or song, but one
student read a Torah portion in Yiddish
translation, then gave a secular interpre-
tation of the passage's meaning.
"The bar mitzvah tends to be an
exprethion of the child's Jewishness,"
said Ellen Bates-Brackett, regional direc-
tor for Workmen's Circle. "They really
connect with what they do, and in the
process of doing the research, they learn
a lot beyond the immediate topic."
- The Workmen's Circle bar mitzvah
is often a family endeavor. Lindsay
Schubiner worked closely with her
dad, Howard, who videotaped her
interviews with immigrants, took her
to New York City to see the Statue of
Liberty and Ellis Island and helped
her edit the video.
"It was a real growth experience and
through this process Lindsay became
more aware of her own heritage," said
Schubiner. "I can't imagine what could
be more meaningful than this for a
modern-day adolescent."
Lindsay also found it meanin gful.
"I'm glad I did it this way," she said. "I
learned a lot about immigrants, and it
definitely made me think more about
my Jewish identity."
At Jewish Parents Institute, which
started its b'nai mitzvah program in
the 1980s, students do their own
research papers on a Jewish person,
movement or event, spend a year
working on social action projects, then
have a group ceremony.
"The ceremony utilizes poetry and
speeches, but there's no Torah por-
tion," said JPI Director Marilyn
Wolfe. "It's not religious, but is very
spiritual."
❑
Jack and Charlene Wolfe,
Robert and Lori Silverstein,
Howard Babcock, Andy Jacob,
and the entire staff at
WORL P WIDE
FINANCIAL
9/25
199
Detroit Jewish News
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