
Becoming BMitzvah at Mishkan
BMitzvah (noun): A gender-neutral term for bar, bat, or b’nai mitzvah. It literally means “child of the commandment,” but we like to think of it as “a person who is now responsible for their own Jewish life.”
At Mishkan Chicago, we’ve crafted a unique BMitzvah program that speaks to our values of justice seeking, community building, and joyful inspiration.
Through our Kehilat BMitzvah cohorts, we offer deep-dive learning sessions for our Bar and Bat Mitzvah families to learn what it means to be meaningfully engaged in justice work in our many communities.
Before we say the Shema in a traditional morning prayer service, we remind ourselves what being Jewish is all about. It’s about love, it’s about action, it’s about knowing where you come from and standing confidently as Jew with a sense of ownership as part of a larger community. At Mishkan, BMitzvah is an incredible opportunity not just for a Jewish teen, but for their entire family to build toward this vision.
If you are interested in your child becoming BMitzvah with Mishkan, please email Aviva at [email protected].
Interested in becoming BMitzvah yourself? Check out our Adult BMitzvah Cohort!
Our Community
At Mishkan, no one goes through the BMitzvah process alone. You’ll connect with other teens and their families through our Kehilat BMitzvah Sunday workshops (more on those below), with other Mishkanites at Shabbat services leading up to your BMitzvah and beyond, and with your wider communities and the world through your tzedek/justice project work.
BMitzvah Timeline
Winter of Fourth Grade: Official BMitzvah dates announced
Orientation Event for all fourth and fifth grade families
Fall of Fifth Grade:
12-18 months before BMitzvah date: Families have their first individualized meeting with the rabbi. Families are matched with their student’s Torah tutor.