The Raanana mothers and daughter sang the passage from the Book of Proverbs, “A Woman of Valor.  The Bat Mitzvah Girls presented their individual projects on extraordinary women in Jewish history.  Each mother blessed her daughter and lit a candle held by her daughter to symbolize the mother’s inner light passed down to her daughter.  The fathers joined the mothers and together blessed the girls with a traditional blessing.

The “I Am a Bat Mitzvah” Program includes 7 sessions for 6th grade girls and their mothers, integrating drama, art, movement, and song.  It is designed to prepare girls for their Bat Mitzvah by helping them connect with the extraordinary women from Jewish history, such as:  Rebecca, Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Donna Gracia, Rachel the Poetess, Naomi Shemer, etc.  The goal is for the girls to consider themselves to be links in the chain of extraordinary Jewish women throughout the ages, and to learn from their experience. 

The program is run in Israel, in different European countries, in the U.S. and Canada in the same format, due to its universal messages and it provides an opportunity to deepen the bond between mother and daughter.

Registration for the 9th session of the program is currently open.

In the photograph:  Bat Mitzvah girls celebrating at the closing ceremony.  Photo courtesy of the Raanana Municipality