Spirituality

Lifelong Goals

Adult b'nai mitzvah candidates realize Jewish
education and dreams.

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Shavuot service brings
a rite of passage long
anticipated by
23 adult learners.

: Congregation
Shaarey Zedek b'nai
mitzvah class of 2000.

Top: Joanne Rowe of
Farmington Hills and
Nancy Goldberg of
Southfield follow the
rehearsal service.

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Staff Writer

S

144

6/30
2000

60

tepping up onto the bima at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
in a new pink suit, with
knowledge acquired beyond
her imagination, Judy Ginsberg became
a bat mitzvah on June 9.
The difference between most b'nai
mitzvah services at the synagogue and
this one is that Ginsberg is not a 12-
year-old girl, but rather a wife, mother
and mother-in-law. Also, she was joined
by 22 other adults who were culminat-
ing their own two years of weekly study
through participation in the ceremony.
For the ninth year, Shaarey Zedek
designated the first day of Shavuot as
the time for an adult b'nai mitzvah cele-
bration. The class, which included two
married couples and a mother and
daughter, was the first to include men.
Although becoming a bar or bat
mitzvah comes automatically with age
or with conversion, adults who have
not partaken in an official ceremony
of being called to the Torah at the
younger age may return later for a
variety of reasons.
For Conservative women, bat mitz-
vah was not always an option. For
some, there is a need to identify in a
tangible way as committed Jews. For
others, taking part helps to set an exam-
ple for younger generations.
"Class members come from a vari-
ety of backgrounds, including both
religious and secular upbringings,"
says group member Terry Segal, whose
daughter will become a bat mitzvah
later this month. "Some had a tradi-
tional bar or bat mitzvah as an adoles-
cent. Some did not. Several members

Above: Nicole Schapira of
West Bloomfield is joined
at the June 5 rehearsal by
her daughter Rebecca
. mism,-S, Hannah, 2 months.
„,,,AsNw.R E

of the class, including myself, are con-
verts to Judaism."
"We opened the doors," says
Rabbi Irwin Groner of the syna-
gogue's offering of the class. "We
provide an in-depth study of learn-
ing and experience," he adds,
describing the introduction to fur-
ther study that many class graduates
will follow.
The classes are taught by Rabbis
Groner, Stephen Weiss, Joseph Krakoff
and Leonardo Bitran; Cantors Chaim
Najman and Ralph Goren; and educa-
tors Susan Krakoff and Michael Wolf.
The students learn haftorah tropes
[music of the Torah readings], prayers
and blessings for the Torah service.
Students attend classes that include
Judaic studies and philosophy, exploring
prayer, Hebrew reading and Jewish life.

Sharing An Experience

In the synagogue, on the day of the cer-
emony, the b'nai mitzvah candidates
each had the honor of accepting an
aliya [honor of being called to the
bima] and reading haftorah. In addi-
tion, those who wished, read from the
Torah or the Book of Ruth [part of the
Ketubim — Writings — in the Bible].
Janet Pont, who also spoke to the
congregation, says some of those volun-
teering for the additional readings were

among five classmates who had convert-
ed to Judaism. But learning together
and being offered the same opportuni-
ties, she says, "is the beauty of the pro-
gram. We are all Jews."
Studying together each Wednesday
evening since the fall of 1998, the
group quickly connected in their corn-
mon goal. They shared the good and
the difficult times. Several lost family
members during the two-year session.
Class members Nicole and Paul
Schapira welcomed a new baby, who
was with them at the- service.
"We had Shabbat luncheon and din-
ner together, and a social was held at
Rabbi Weiss' home," says Pont. "The
class was able to meet one another's
spouses. It was a chance to meet the
children, too."
Pont's daughter Nancy Goldberg
already knew the group because she was
part of the class. "Learning and sharing
with my daughter was the most incredi-
ble thing," says Pont, whose experience
was enhanced by the time spent dis-
cussing the class at dinner with her
daughter after each session. Pont
describes sitting in the second row of
the sanctuary, with tears streaming
down her cheeks, as her daughter read
Torah for the first time. For Joe Partney,
having his family with him at the ser-
vice was more important than he origi-

nally thought. "I wasn't going to tell
anyone I was doing this," he says. "It
was going to be very low-key on my
part."
But after a while word leaked out,
and the next thing he knew his sister
from Washington and son from
Connecticut were among those wishing
him mazel tov in synagogue.
Rabbi Groner sees the participation
of the congregation as an additional
bonus to the ceremony.
"The congregation is enriched by the
devotion and love of Judaism that the
b'nai mitzvah have brought," he says.

Joining The Class

Decisions to join the group were not
made lightly. Ilene Miles says, "It takes
sacrifices in every which way, but it was
worth every moment."
She didn't consciously make the deci-
sion to participate until she arrived at
the synagogue. Looking to sign up for
just one Jewish education course, she
left as a member of the b'nai mitzvah
class.
Feeling an immediate bond with the
group, Miles says, "I felt the need to go
to class all the time, I needed it for
myself."
Pont's decision to join the group was
based on a look back at recent involve-
ment in secular education. After receiv-

