FRS B’nei Mitzvah are unique.  From the way that we prepare at Friday Group and Shabbat Programme to the atmosphere we have at the Friday night service, B’nei Mitzvah are a true example of what makes this community special. 

At the heart of the process is Friday Group.  Anyone visiting FRS on a Friday evening will be struck by the level of concentration and commitment.  With young people working in pairs around the building there is a real sense of a young community learning together.

Amit Handelsmen
Director of Education

Click here for more information about the B'nei Mitzvah services at FRS.

B’nei Mitzvah at FRS are expected to lead much of the Friday night service and to participate substantially in the Shabbat morning service.  The best way for children (and their parents) to become comfortable with these synagogue services is to attend on a regular basis. 

• A young person who attends regularly on Friday night and follows the service will learn many of the prayers and melodies by ‘osmosis’.

•  Attending the Shabbat morning service, particularly on B’nei Mitzvah, will ensure that the whole family becomes comfortable with the choreography of the ceremony.

A Family Experience

• Services should also be a meaningful family experience demonstrating a family commitment to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah process. 

• Bar/Bat Mitzvah is an opportunity for the whole family to develop their spiritual lives and one aspect of this is shul attendance.

Shabbat

• Pupils at Friday Group are expected to attend the Kabbalat Shabbat service with their parents as well as Shabbat morning service. 
• Please note that young people are not supervised during or after the service. 
  

Date Booking

• Families are invited to the booking evening at least a year before they are due to start Friday Group, to fix a date for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• At this meeting the date for the Bar or Bat Mitzvah is booked and the family will have the opportunity to become familiar with all the activities and programmes aimed at the B’nei and Bnot Mitzvah.

Options for Reading the Torah

For their Bar/Bat Mitzvah there are three ways in which pupils may read their Torah Portion

1. Reading From The Torah
   This is a straightforward reading from the scroll, followed by the translation. This is the most common choice of pupils.
2. Leyning
   Leyning (chanting) of the Torah portion can offer a measure of traditional richness to the Shabbat service.
   Friday Group offers the opportunity of singing to pupils who have the musical competence to pick up tunes quickly and accurately. 
3. Line By Line Translation
   This means that the pupil reads from the Torah and translates from memory each line or phrase as he/she reads. This enhances greatly the young person's understanding of the portion and stimulates the interest of the congregation.
4. Haftarah Options
   At FRS B’nei Mitzvah the Haftarah will normally be read in English.  It can be read in Hebrew only if there is enough preparation time to ensure that it will be read well.  This decision is made with the young people and families during the Friday Group process.

For more information on Friday Group and the full B'nei mitzvah progamme download this booklet (66Kb) and/or contact the B'nei Mitzvah programme coordinator bmitzvah@frsonline.org