Training by Skype or in person in South
Lake Tahoe, California
Ceremonies in South Lake Tahoe or whoever you dream
up!
Looking
for a unique Bar or Bat Mitzvah experience?
Are
you in search of an alternative to the traditional bar
or bat mitzvah route?
Would
you consider a destination Bar or Bat Mitzvah to South
Lake Tahoe?
Do
you live in the areas surrounding South Lake Tahoe such
as San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Reno, Stockton but are
unable to fulfill the requirements of traditional Bar or
Bat Mitzvah training?
We
offer Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah training via skype, from
our new branch office in South Lake Tahoe California. Led
by Rabbi Evon Yakar and in partnership with Temple Bat Yam,
the Adventure Rabbi South Lake Tahoe office is able to offer
a variety of life cycle events, unique Shabbat programming
and distance learning opportunities including:
Bar
Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Training
Bar
Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Ceremonies
Adult
Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Training
Adult
Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Ceremonies
Conversion training for potential Jews By Choice
Shabbat
on Skis and Snowbaords
Shabbat
Hikes
Extensive
Programs for Teens from the Sacramento
Of
course if you live in San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, Reno,
or Stockton you could drive up now and then and meet with
Rabbi Evon in person, perhaps join him for Shabbat on the
Snow (skis and snowboard) or Shabbat Hikes.
If you
are looking for a meaning-filled, Jewishly inspirational Bar
Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah experience for your son or daughter,
the Adventure Rabbi Program with branches in South Lake Tahoe,
California and Boulder, Colorado, with Skype access all over
the world, may be the right fit for you!
Destination
Bat Mitzvah or Bar Mitzvah: How it works
View Video on an Adventure Rabbi Destination Bar
Mitzvah
First:
You
pick a place for your destination Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah.
The majority of our destination bar or bat mitzvahs are in
South Lake Tahoe California. With some of the finest hiking,
skiing, boarding and snowshoeing in the world, why make anywhere
else the destination? But Rabbi Yakar does travel, so you
pick a destination and he will meet you there.
Second:
You pick a date for your destination Bar mitzvah
or Bat mitzvah. We only book dates 18 months in advance, so
no need to plan 3 or 4 years out. (We don’t want to
think that far ahead!) But since Bar Mitzvah and Bat mitzvah
can be on Monday, Thursday or Saturday we can almost always
find a date for you, even late in the game if you can be flexible.
Third:
Preparation
Monthly
work with the Rabbi: The bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah student will work
with Rabbi Yakar in preparation for the destination bar
mitzvah or bat mitzvah service. Once a month for ten moths
before your ceremony, the bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah student
and Rabbi Yakar will meet by phone or Skype. They will discuss
the meaning of Bar mitzvah or Bat mitzvah.
Topics
are individualized for each student but generally include
questions like:
What's
this Bar Mitzvah/ Bat Mitzvah thing about anyway?
The
purpose of Tikkun Olam / Who am I to try to save the world?
Taking
on responsibility
What
is prayer and how does it work?
Can
God help me with my math test? (And who/what/where is God
anyway?)
Is
Shabbat relevant and meaningful to a 12 or 13 year old?
What
does this Torah potion mean and what does it have to do
with me?
Rabbi Yakar will also supervise the work the bar mitzvah
or bat mitzvah student does with their Hebrew tutor. (You
contract for the Hebrew tutor in your community separately.)
Rabbi Yakar will help the bar
mitzvah or bat mitzvah student:
Write
their D'var Torah (speech about the Torah portion)
Find
meaning in their social action project
Write
a speech about their social action project
Find
meaning in their Shabbat project.
Fourth:
Community and Rabbi
We really encourage your family to come to Adventure Rabbi
events. This is a great way to get to know other students
who are in the same Adventure Rabbi Bar and Bat Mitzvah program
that you are and to meet Rabbi Korngold (The Adventure Rabbi).
It is also a ffabulous opportunity to connect with what may
well be the coolest Jewish community in the United States.
Check out our retreats attended by people around the country
and our local events in Lake Tahoe, California and Boulder
Colorado. .
Fifth:
Ceremony Prep:
A month before the service, you will meet by phone Skype with
Rabbi Yakar to plan your service, polish your talks, rehearse
the service and set the tone for the bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah.
Sixth:
Ceremony:
We use
Gate of Prayer (Gender neutral edition) the Reform Movement’s
gray colored prayer book. We also welcome your family to create
their own prayer book, although admittedly this is a lot of
work so few families do.
We welcome
your family and friends participation in the service to make
it meaningful and unique.
We use
a third-size, backpacking Torah, which has been read in all
sorts of wondrous location, on the top of peaks and the bottom
of canyons. We look forward to adding you to the long line
of bar and bat mitzvah students who have read from our Torah
is all sorts of amazing places.
Why
are destination bar and bat mitzvah so popular?
Destination
Bar or Bat Mitzvah: Saving Money
Why do bar and
bas mitzvah cost so much anyway? There are DJs, bands, themes,
centerpieces, gifts, photographers, videographers, Kiddush
luncheons, gift bags and on and on. You feel obliged to invite
all the aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, colleagues and
clients not to mention your bar or bat mitzvah student's entire
class. Ouch it hurts the wallet just thinking about it!
Although a destination
bar or bat mitzvah has its own unique costs (airfare, hotel
and meals) because you tend to have fewer guests and a simpler
celebration, the average price is much lower than the cost
of doing a ceremony at home. And the memories you create during
this unique, alternative
bar or bat mitzvah will be priceless.
Destination
Bar or Bat Mitzvah: Time with your family
Destination bar
or bat mitzvahs create family time. When you come to South
Lake Tahoe, California (or other location of your choice)
for your destination bar or bat mitzvah, you will have some
relaxed, quality time with your family. Most families take
time before or after the ceremony to vacation. Whether you
relax or adventure, a destination bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah
gives you precious time with your family and close friends.
Destination
Bar and Bat Mitzvah: Changing the Emphasis from the Party
to the Journey
A destination bar
mitzvah or bat mitzvah let's you focus on your son or daughter's
journey of learning and discovery, rather than on caterers
and DJs.
A Destination Bar
Bat Mitzvah will enable you to escape the one-ups-man ship
of Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah parities. A destination bar
or bat mitzvah will return the emphasis of the Bar Mitzvah
or Bat Mitzvah to what it should be, because it takes the
focus off the fancy party and puts it on the ceremony. A destination
bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah allows you to focus on a smaller,
close circle of community - your closest family and friends.
Destination
Bar or Bat Mitzvah: Personalized Ceremony
Destination bar
mitzvah or bas mitzvah gives you the opportunity to put your
family’s unique stamp on the bar or bat mitzvah ceremony.
Unlike many synagogues that have bar and bas mitzvah ceremonies
every weekend and therefore need to keep all the ceremonies
the same, your bar or bat mitzvah will be unique. When you
work with our rabbis to create your destination bar or bat
mitzvah, we will help you craft a ceremony that reflects your
family. Maybe you want your destination bar mitzvah or bas
mitzvah to include a hike, a horseback ride or a day of skiing.
Or perhaps you want your destination bar mitzvah to be more
traditional, inside a hall with the guests in suits. (Yes,
we occasionally do those as well!)
We will help you
create a ceremony that matches your family's style. You will
have a say in elements ranging from where the ceremony is
to who participates in the service. (We can create many opportunities
for your guests to participate.)
Destination
Bar or Bat Mitzvah: Outdoor Possibilities
Many people experience
their most spiritual moments outdoors, so it seems odd to
restrict bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies to indoor synagogues.
We are amendable to officiating at bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies
in a variety of outdoor locations.
But, we also understand
that families often include an important guest who can't do
a hike. Another option at destination bar and bat mitzvah
is to have the bar and bat mitzvah service indoors but to
add a Friday night service with a hike for those guests who
are physically ale to partake. We have also done an optional
afternoon havdallah hike for guests after the bat mitzvah
or bar mitzvah. We have lots of creative ideas -just ask.