The grade 7 program reflects our commitment to a substantive path towards bar/bat mitzvah.
We want our students to explore what it really means to be a member of the Jewish community, so that the coming-of-age ceremony is part of a longer journey. We give our students opportunities to explore and think for themselves, as well as the chance to learn with their families and connect with their peers. Our program also reflects our absolute commitment to equality, as both boys and girls work towards standing on the bima as B’nei Mitzvah, full and equal members of our community.
Our program also takes into account the busy lives of our students. The students meet as a class at Torah School on Shabbat mornings during the school year. In class, they explore the history of Reform Judaism, discuss the significance of the bar/bat mitzvah ceremony and examine how this milestone will impact their lives. They learn how to give a d’var torah (speech) and practice some of the prayers all the students will recite at their bar/bat mitzvah. (Tutoring for their individual bar/bat mitzvah takes place privately, at a time you arrange with your child’s tutor).
Approximately once a month during the school year, the B’nei Mitzvah students and their families go on a field trip to a significant Jewish communal institution. Activities might include volunteering in a soup kitchen, a walking tour of Jewish Montreal and a visit to the Montreal Holocaust Museum. These monthly programs also include a few family friendly activities at Temple, usually during a Shabbat lunch or dinner. To read more about our B’nei Mitzvah program, click here.
To learn more about Temple’s Torah School, please contact, Rabbi Lillian Kowalski, our Director of Education, at 514-937-3575, ext. 210 or rabbikowalski@templemontreal.ca