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Never

Too Late

Adult b'nai mitzvah classes represent
a different coming of age.

Stacy Gittleman I Contributing Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

have a bar or bat mitzvah later in life. While
learning Hebrew and the complexities of
chanting Torah may be a bit more challeng-
ing, older b'nai mitzvah students can bring a
wealth of perspective and life experiences and
a deeper appreciation for Jewish study than
their younger counterparts.
Nationwide, there has been some discus-
sion in Jewish circles as to whether or not
the traditional age of becoming a bar or bat
mitzvah — 12 for girls and 13 for boys — is
outdated. Many teens and families see the
ceremony as the final day of involvement
with Jewish education, rather than as an
entry point of a fully participating adult in
Jewish communal life. Additionally, the status
of becoming a Jewish adult and taking on
the mitzvot of Judaism is recognized with or
without a ceremony and all its extra fanfare.
The first "belated" b'nai mitzvah ceremo-
nies were held at Brandeis University in the
1970s, according to MyJewishLearning.com .
Recently, Reboot, a New York City-based
organization doing outreach to unaffiliated
Jewish millennials, launched an initiative
called reBar that asks this age group to re-
examine their Jewish identities and their own
Jewish coming-of-age ceremony — if they
had one at all.
If it did not have much meaning the first
time around, would they give it another try,
along Jewish learning and living, now that
they are at an age when they may be think-
ing about starting families? Though reBar is
active in several U.S. cities, the initiative does
not have any activity in Detroit yet.
Whether they never had a bar or bat mitz-
vah, as in the case of women of older genera-
tions, Jewish converts or those looking to
recharge their Jewish identities, Jewish adults
in Detroit are dedicating themselves to study,
finding community and being recognized on
the bimah in a bar or bat mitzvah ceremony.
For those seeking adult b'nai mitzvah

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May 14 • 2015

JN

instruction in Detroit, Adat Shalom and
Temple Israel of West Bloomfield have estab-
lished two-year courses. The clergy take turns
teaching weekly courses in a group setting.
Subjects include basic Judaism, laws, customs
and holidays, and Jewish ethics as well as
Hebrew literacy and reading the Hebrew of
the selected Torah portion and learning Torah
trope in the final six months. Temple Emanu-
El of Oak Park is planning an adult b'nai
mitzvah program in late 2015 or early 2016.
Adat Shalom's current class is preparing for
a ceremony May 24 in time for Shavuot. The
next group of students will start classes in
January 2016; new students are welcome.
Hazzan Dan Gross teaches with his fel-
low clergy at Adat Shalom. He said having
an adult b'nai mitzvah ceremony timed to
Shavuot is symbolic for a group of adults
publicly demonstrating their commitment to
their Jewish identity and their role in syna-
gogue life as well as their efforts to learn an
ancient tradition and carry it into the future.
Adults come from a wide range of religious
backgrounds. Gross said he is very apprecia-
tive of the effort students put into learning
Hebrew and chanting Torah.
"Everyone comes to class with different lev-
els of reading Hebrew:' he said. "As teachers,
we have to be cognizant that everyone is at a
different pace and sensitive to the fact that, as
an adult, it may be harder to memorize the
musical motifs of the trope. But what makes
learning with adults enjoyable is that they
truly form a chavruta, a community of learn-
ers who support one another"

Continued Commitment

A few of the course's graduates have gone on
to become regular leaders of daily services or
regular Torah readers.
Allison Lee, 54, of Walled Lake, a graduate
of the 2013 Adat Shalom class, takes pride
in her newly acquired skill of chanting the
Ten Commandments. Growing up, Lee had a
minimal Jewish education and rarely attend-

Jim Rawlinson holds a Torah at Temple Israel.

ed synagogue with her family. Several years
into marriage, her husband, son of a Lutheran
minister, strongly urged that she delve into
the teachings and traditions of Judaism. The
desire to raise their daughter, Lydia, as a Jew
also accelerated the rate at which she learned.
"Through the years, it was my husband
who encouraged me to explore my religion,
and little by little we would take on traditions,
like lighting Shabbat candles, having holiday
meals and keeping a kosher home."
Lee and Lydia became fast study partners.
Both mother and daughter celebrated their
bat mitzvot within the last two years.
"I feel such pride when I chant Torah' Lee
said. "I think, 'Wow, I get to read the voice of
God."
She offers this advice to adults on the fence
about having an adult bar or bat mitzvah
ceremony: "If you have the slightest modicum
of curiosity, go for it. You will be swept away
by the amount of knowledge and a feeling of
identity and community you will gain:'
The adult bar/bat mitzvah preparations at
Temple Israel involve weekly two-hour classes
with concentrations on Jewish study, celebrat-
ing Jewish holidays as a class and improving

Hebrew literacy. The second year focuses on
the Torah service, learning its prayers and
preparing a Torah service, according to Rabbi
Arianna Gordon. Approximately 21 students
are involved in each learning cycle. The cur-
rent group of students will have a service to
celebrate their emergence into Jewish adult-
hood in October 2016.
"We have learners at all levels, includ-
ing some who have recently converted to
Judaism, and then some Hebrew school drop-
outs who are circling back to Judaism later in
life," Gordon said. "A lot of the classes involve
personal reflective writing on their relation-
ship with God and what about this journey to
Jewish adulthood is important to them:'
Gordon said the most important aspect
she wants her adult students to gain is a cre-
ation of their own smaller Jewish community
within the larger scope of Temple Israel.

Exploring Judaism

Jim Rawlinson, 75, of West Bloomfield was
very excited to get a new tallit from his life
partner, Paula Weberman, when he celebrat-

Never Too Late on page 16