JCP offers an individualized experience for each family seeking a B’nai Mitzvah. We perform ceremonies all over New York City in an effort to make your child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah special and personal.
Links
B’nai Mitzvah Handbook
Handbook for the B’nai Mitzvah Journey
As a resource for families, we have compiled a B’nai Mitzvah Handbook that covers all aspects of the B’nai Mitzvah journey. Please read it carefully here.
Preparing for B’nai Mitzvah
Preparation for a JCP B’nai Mitzvah ceremony puts the learner in the driver’s seat of their Jewish journey. Seminars and schedule flexibility give 6th, 7th, and 8th grade learners a sense of ownership over their B’nai Mitzvah experience. Social and meaningful engagement with their cohort is balanced with one-on-one learning sessions that will prepare each learner in a personalized environment, suited to their learning preferences and needs.
Core Components of a JCP B’nai Mitzvah Journey
- Weekly one-on-one tutoring
- Relevant and meaningful Jewish learning with peers
- Torah study with one of JCP’s rabbis
- A group Mitzvah Project
- Fun and social youth programming
Getting Started in Our Program
Membership/Lifecycle Policy
We are honored to offer B’nai Mitzvah training and services to all eligible members of JCP. If you are not yet members, you can join as members of JCP here. Membership is required in order to reserve a date.
Date Selection for B’nai Mitzvah
Most of JCP’s B’nai Mitzvah ceremonies take place shortly after the child’s thirteenth birthday. If you are interested in scheduling a Bar or Bat Mitzvah for your child, please reach out to our Chief of Staff to the Rabbi Amy Herman, at aherman@jcpdowntown.org.
B’nai Mitzvah dates at JCP must be reserved in advance, and are first come, first serve. Families can choose a date beginning when their child is in 3rd grade but no later than a year before the ceremony will take place.
JCP is unable to change dates/times after they are selected. Any change in date or time (Switching AM to PM and vice versa) would result in a different Torah portion being read.
B’nai Mitzvah is either Shabbat morning (Saturday 9:30-11:30AM) or Shabbat afternoon (Saturday 4:30-6:30PM).
Venues for B’nai Mitzvah
You can host your B’nai Mitzvah ceremony in a variety of venues in New York City, whether they be in downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, or here at JCP! Some families choose to have the ceremony and the party take place in the same venue. Smaller ceremonies have taken place at JCP (Pricing of JCP lobby: $500 for members of JCP) and in community members’ living rooms. Larger ceremonies take place in restaurants, hotels, event spaces, and local sanctuaries all over New York City.
Below is a list of venues previously used for JCP ceremonies.
B’nai Mitzvah Policies
Ceremony Policy
Families who are preparing for a B’nai Mitzvah through JCP should be aware that JCP’s policy does not allow for hosting a ceremony at another synagogue or with another rabbi.
Fees
The total fee for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is $5000, with a $2500 deposit when reserving the date. Six months prior to the date, the remaining $2500 will be invoiced.
JCP strives to address barriers from participation. Please join us in conversation about the particular type of support from which your child or family could benefit.
Cancellation Policy
We give every family a great deal of choice in selecting the B’nai Mitzvah date. Once you select a date and pay the deposit, the agreed-upon date and time is reserved for your child’s B’nai Mitzvah ceremony. If you would like to change your ceremony date and the ceremony is more than a year away, you can be in touch with JCP’s Rabbi and Jewish Life Coordinator, Deena Silverstone, and we will try our best to accommodate your new date preference (without any guarantees). If the ceremony is a year away (or less than a year away) we will not be able to accommodate any date changes.
