Overall Approach & Goals:

At Kavana, we hope that the B'nai Mitzvah process will serve as a meaningful entry point into an engaged adult Jewish life for each of our students. Students and their families have a great ability to personalize this process... meaning that our students' learning goals and ceremonies may look very different from one another. However, we hope that through engaging in Kavana's B'nai Mitzvah process, all of our students will have the opportunity to:

• Participate in peer and community Jewish experiences (this might include attending Kavana's Middle School Program, participating in Shabbat services regularly, going to Jewish summer camp, etc.).

• Articulate Jewish learning goals, and master significant Jewish content.

• Celebrate this life-cycle milestone with family & friends in a joyous way.

• Experience a sense of accomplishment.

• Develop positive Jewish identity as a young adult.

B’nai Mitzvah Process Outline

1. Identify Learning Goals in a B. Mitzvah Intake Meeting

Who: Kavana staff, parents, and student together.

When: ~12-18 months in advance of celebration.

Learning goals may include “synagogue skills” (Hebrew, prayer, Torah and/or Haftorah reading), study/interpretation (of Torah portion or other Jewish topic such as a holiday or value), and/or projects (e.g. a community service/“mitzvah” project, artistic project, family history project, travel-related project, etc.).

2. Select Date/Time

Who: Families, in conjunction with Kavana calendar. 

When: As early in the process as possible.

Families should select their top few dates/times and work with the Kavana staff to confirm one which works with the Kavana calendar, taking into account staff and Torah availability. 

3. Reserve Venue

Who: Parents/families.

When: As early in the process as possible.

Kavana does not own a building, but we do have venues that we rent regularly and a long list of options that other Kavana B’nai Mitzvah families have used in recent years. B’nai Mitzvah families are responsible for reserving, coordinating with, and paying venues directly for rental.

4. Match with Tutor, and set up regular tutoring meetings. Connect with Kavana staff about mitzvah/service project (*if this is one of your student’s goals).

Who: Kavana staff can facilitate/introduce; families are responsible for arranging schedule and payment directly with their student’s tutor.

When: Early on, soon after B. Mitzvah intake meeting (#1, above).

Kavana-adjacent tutors provide the ‘behind-the-scenes’ support to scaffold learning goals and outcomes. We have ~8 tutors in the mix at present, and will help families find the right match for their student. Most students meet with their tutor weekly. Our rabbis coordinate content, sequencing, and ceremony details with tutors behind the scenes.

5. Plan Ceremony

Who: Kavana staff, with input from family and tutor.

When: In the months leading up to the ceremony. 

Ceremony plans include:

• Setting start-time and approx. length of the service.

• Figuring out logistics and ritual items needed (e.g. tallit, Torah transport, kippot, kiddush cup, etc.).

• Reaching out to musician(s), if desired. (Both Rabbi Jay and Rabbi Rachel are prepared to support a wide range of “flavors” and styles of ritual. Some families privately contract with musicians to add musical leadership/accompaniment to their ceremony.).

• Determination of “honors” / family participation in the ceremony. 

• Siddur decision, creation and/or finalization - choose a prayer book to use, or customize a siddur packet for your ceremony (If you go this route, Kavana staff will help create the packet and families are responsible for printing.).

6. Schedule 3-4 content meetings

Who: B’nai Mitzvah student + officiating rabbi.

When: Meetings typically start 3-5 months out from the ceremony.

The content meetings between Rabbi and student focus on Torah study, the writing of D’var Torah/speech, and how to bring the student’s voice into the Jewish identity development that this process represents.

7. Schedule a rehearsal 

Who: Officiating rabbi, tutor (if available), parents and student.

When: 1-2 weeks before ceremony.

We aim for a full run-through of the ceremony, including Torah service, to build confidence and so everyone knows exactly what to expect.

8. Celebrate!

This is incredible milestone by marking the occasion of Bar/Bat/B'nai/B Mitzvah in a meaningful way!

Next Steps:

We hope to support all of our students/families in mapping a path for continued Jewish engagement after B’nai Mitzvah!

B’nai Mitzvah Cohort - Activities and Registration

Kavana hosts a handful of content-rich programs designed to bring each year’s cohort of B’nai Mitzvah students and parents into community with one another throughout the year. We also encourage families to invite other members of the cohort and/or the Kavana community to join in their child’s ceremony. 

The B’nai Mitzvah life-cycle fee is $1,200 for partner families and $3,600 for non-partners. As always at Kavana, if this amount feels prohibitive, please let us know and we will work with you; no one will be turned away from our B’nai Mitzvah cohort due to financial ability. Registration typically opens in the spring for the following year (e.g. in Spring 2025, we will open registration for our 2026 B’nai Mitzvah Cohort).

If you are new to Kavana, we strongly encourage you to attend some community events, including different Shabbat services, to feel out whether this is potentially a good fit, before reaching out to our B’nai Mitzvah team to learn more.

Our Team

Each of our B'nai Mitzvah students is supported by a team of adults that includes Kavana staff, parents/family members, and (in almost all cases) a tutor, working in close collaboration with one another. Our staff team includes Rachel Lena Osias (our Director of Education, also affectionately known as RLO), Rabbi Jay LeVine and Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum (learn more about our team below!).