Choosing/Changing Your Date
It will soon be time to schedule a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date for your current [Fall 2011] 5th Grader. Packets will be mailed to parents of 5th Graders enrolled in Beth Israel's Religious School, and parents of 5th Grade students at The Shlenker School, who are Congregation members.
A copy of last year's materials for the packet is available here. When prepared, the new packet will include:
- An invitation to a 5th Grade Parents' Meeting in the Margolis Gallery, 9:00-10:00 a.m., on a Sunday, in late October or early November. RSVP to (713) 771-6221 x311 or email Heidi Nasser.
- A letter breifly explaining the process of signing up for a 2013-2014 Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date
- A list of available dates in the 2013-2014 year
- A list of eligible students. The list is not made available to the general public.
- A Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date Preference Form, on which you may request a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date.
Forms must be returned to the office of Cantor Daniel Mutlu, Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096, by Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. Those forms will be processed and letters confirming assigned dates will be placed in the mail on Friday, December 9.
Should you have any questions regarding the process of signing up for a 2013-2014 Bar/Bat Mitzvah, please contact Cantor Mutlu's office as listed below.
Should you have a student who needs a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date in 2011-2012 or in 2012-2013, please contact Cantor Mutlu's office for information on how to acquire a date.
Should you need further information please contact Cantor Mutlu's office.
713-771-6221 ext. 311
Cantor Daniel Mutlu
dmutlu@beth-israel.org
Heidi Nasser - Cantor’s Assistant
hnasser@beth-israel.org
Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, in his book "Putting God on the Guest List" wrote: "Bar and bat mitzvah is a sacred mountain in Jewish time. We climb this particular mountain because it brings us closer to God, closer to Judaism, closer to our people, closer to ourselves. And what modern Jews need more than ever, is a way to really be there at the summit of this holy mountain… Bar and bat mitzvah is among the most popular of American Jewish rituals….It is a glorious moment in the life of the family, the synagogue and the Jewish people."
Here at Congregation Beth Israel, we strive to ensure that each child and each family will experience the positive power of this ritual by helping prepare each child for success, and helping accommodate each family for this very special milestone.
