Policies and Procedures for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program  

The policies and procedures described below are designed to support students' learning and ensure the smooth functioning of the program. They were developed over many years of thoughtful deliberation by the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Committee.

1.  Enrollment Eligibility

Students who wish to enroll in the Kehilla Community Synagogue School Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program must have completed at least the 5th and 6th grades at Kehilla School.  They must be entering at least the seventh grade of their day school prior to enrollment in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program.  Their families must be up-to-date in meeting all financial obligations to Kehilla.  Any family experiencing difficulty meeting these obligations is invited to talk confidentially to Sandy Bredt, Executive Director, to make other arrangements regarding past due accounts.  The Bar/Bat Mitzvah tuition scholarship requests should be made by following the directions on the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Financial Commitment Form.

2.  Membership Status

Families must be current members of Kehilla Community Synagogue, KCS.  All back membership dues from the date the family first joined KCS must be paid before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah training can begin.  Membership dues and program tuition for the year the Bar/Bat Mitzvah must be up-to-date before the ceremony can take place.

3.  Ongoing Involvement in the Congregation and Community

We expect that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah student and his/her family will attend and participate in Shabbat and holiday services throughout the year.  In the spirit of learning and experimentation, students and families are also encouraged to attend services at other congregations.  Students and families who attend services on a regular basis feel more a part of the Kehilla community, and are able to appreciate the special meaning of the Shabbat prayers and service. 

All Kehilla families commit to volunteering a minimum of 5 hours per year.  Your contribution is critical to the ongoing life of our community.  You may choose to help set up and clean up for Shabbat, a holiday or event, volunteer in the office, offer technical support in our office, contribute special skills, help organize High Holidays or serve on any of the following committees:  Program, Membership, Finance, Fundraising, Board of Trustees, Youth Education Committee and especially the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Committee.

We sincerely hope that students will continue their Jewish education and remain involved with the community after completion of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.  Kehilla is a co-sponsor of the Midrasha Program (which is the community-wide Jewish High School Program) and Jewish Youth for Community Action (JYCA), a leadership development and social action program.  More information will be provided about these programs at a later date.

4. Scheduling Classes

Teachers have limited available hours and usually teach at their home.  Families will need to arrange a mutually agreeable time for class sessions with both the teacher and study partner.  We strongly encourage families to keep to weekly meeting times and not miss several weeks of classes in a row.  If you must cancel less than 24 hours in advance, you will be expected to compensate the teacher directly for the make-up lesson. 

      Please do not call teachers on Shabbat (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday).

5. Date of Ceremony

Although it is traditional to hold the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service on the first Shabbat following the child’s 13th birthday, the ceremony can take place any time after that.  As an egalitarian congregation, we follow the custom that both boys and girls must be at least 13 years old.

Please be aware that we avoid having Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies on the third Shabbat of each month.  We also do not schedule ceremonies several weeks before or after High Holydays.

Upon enrollment, families will submit three choices of possible dates for the ceremony.  It is not always possible to get the first or second choice.  The dates range from February 2009 – February 2010.  Questions you may want to consider when choosing your date are:
➢    Will my child be 13 or within a few weeks of his/her birthday?
➢    Are there secular or other holidays to consider?
➢    Will this date work with my child’s/family’s school/work schedule?  (i.e. CPAs might not want their child’s event in the first two weeks of April.)
➢    Will our distant family/friends be able to come?  Be sure and check with relatives coming from abroad before submitting your date choices.
➢    Will my child have enough time to complete the program without undue stress?

Important Note:  Once the ceremony date has been assigned, any requested change to the date will incur a $100 fee; there are no exceptions to this policy.

6.  Assignment of Teacher and Study Partner

We do our utmost to make the best possible match for students, partners and teachers.  We hire excellent and highly skilled teachers who undergo an extensive interview process.  We consult with 6th grade teachers who help us to evaluate and consider learning styles and personalities of the students.  We match students with teachers who can provide the best learning experience for the student.  We try to consider details such as geographical location for carpooling to classes. 

As in any school, we cannot guarantee that there will be an ideal arrangement or a perfect student-teacher or student-student match.  We therefore ask that families be as flexible as possible with their assignments.  If serious problems arise with a particular teacher, first attempt to resolve it with him or her.  If you are unsuccessful, please report your difficulty to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program Director.  If further action is required, the rabbis will be consulted.  

7.  Service Options

Most students choose to have an individual ceremony, but two families may choose to have their ceremony on the same Shabbat.  This might be particularly helpful to single parent households, or families that are close friends. Most services are held on Shabbat morning, but each year, a few afternoon services are held.  If you would like to have an afternoon service, you must note this on the enrollment application. 

8.  Time Commitment

Students and families should consider in advance the amount of study time required by the program.  Bar/Bat Mitzvah lessons may conflict with other endeavors.  Depending on a student’s ability to manage his/her school load and Bar/Bat Mitzvah studies, extra-curricular activities such as sports or music lessons, may have to be curtailed.  The expected time allotment for Bar/Bat Mitzvah homework varies with each student’s ability and ranges from two to five hours weekly.

Attending Shabbat services on a regular basis is the best preparation for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony.

9.   Service Leadership

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Shabbat Morning service and ceremony is led by a rabbi or another designated service leader.  They are often referred to as spiritual leaders.  The student’s teacher attends and participates in the service, and students also lead portions of the service.  A limited number of family relatives and friends may offer readings or receive honors at the service.  A Kehilla musical prayer leader will provide musical leadership.  A list of service leaders and musical prayer leaders is at the end of this handbook.  You will be asked for your choices of service leaders shortly after High Holydays.  Kehilla staff will coordinate the scheduling and you will receive the names of your service leaders by January 2008.  The more services you have attended, the more familiar you will be with each leader’s style.

10.  Location of Service

    All Bar/Bat Mitzvah services take place at Kehilla Community Synagogue, 1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont. Many families choose to rent Kehilla’s Social Hall for a luncheon and party following the service.

11.  Drashot Compilation

Upon completion of their ceremony, each student should submit a clean edited paper copy and electronic version of their drash to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program Director.  The drashot will be compiled into a booklet that will be distributed to each student.

12.  Tuition Costs

The tuition for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program is described in the handout that is distributed at the first orientation.  The payment schedule is also described in the handout, and includes a non-refundable deposit.
For students registering for the program in 2007, the cost of tuition includes the following:
    * Classes (in dyad fashion) with the teacher
    * Individual sessions with teacher
    * Workshops and special events
    * Administrative support
    * Service leadership and musical prayer leadership
    * Two planning meetings for the ceremony; one with service leader,
  and one with service leader, musical prayer leader, and teacher
    * Textbooks/materials (replacements for lost textbooks cost extra)
    * Rehearsal with service leader, musical prayer leader, and teacher
* Saturday morning service/ceremony including room rental
* Ropes course
* At least one additional social activity for students
* CD of Shabbat Prayers

Additional costs are outlined below.

13.  Additional Costs

(Services not included in the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program tuition)

Trope:  Every student will read from the Torah at his/her ceremony and somewill choose to read haftarah, as well.  Tutors who teach Torah and Haftarah cantillation can be recommended by the program director, or you may choose your own. Tutors generally charge $45-$60 per hour.   For those learning the trope system, a minimum of 10 lessons is recommended. .  Teachers should be contacted at least four months in advance.  A list of possible trope teachers is at the back of this handbook.  Cassette tape recordings or CD’s, while not ideal for learning cantillation, can be prepared by a skilled teacher at a small additional cost.    Students and their families should discuss individual needs and preferences with their teacher or call the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program Director for appropriate referral

Siddur Supplement: It is the family’s responsibility to create the siddur supplement.  At minimum, the supplement must include a copy of the Torah reading in Hebrew and English, and any songs or readings that are not in the Siddur.  Many families also include information about Kehilla and the service, additional poems, photos, a thank you list, honors, and the names of relatives being remembered.  Supplements must be paginated.  Examples are available in the Kehilla office.

Invitations:  There are many available options for invitations.  If you are not a Hebrew speaker, your invitations and supplements must be checked by the teacher or service leader.  Do not rely on the designer.  Please consider inviting all the students in the class to the ceremony.  You may use a separate insert for the party.

Kiddush and/or Luncheon:  Families are asked to provide at least a minimal Kiddush to which all congregants are invited.   A simple Kiddush includes finger foods, challah, kosher wine, and grape juice.  If you choose to hold a luncheon in the Kehilla Social Hall, those congregants who have come to celebrate Shabbat and your son/daughter’s becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah will be invited to the luncheon as well.  There is an additional charge for use of the social hall and kitchen.  Kehilla parties and celebrations can be simple or extravagant. It is your choice.  Our Nuts and Bolts workshop, led by alumni parents, has been very successful in providing advice, detailed information, and resources.  Potluck celebrations can be a great way to involve the community.  Kehilla will provide a resource guide to help in planning the celebration.  In addition, advice may be obtained from alumni families.  Ask the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program Director for contact information.

Extra tutoring:  Students are expected to have basic Hebrew reading abilities -- to recognize all letters and sound out words.  If this is not the case, outside tutoring will be required prior to the first dyad lesson.

Additional Contributions: We understand that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year is a stressful one for families, both emotionally and financially.  While your tuition covers all of the above costs, it is quite traditional for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah family to make a contribution to the synagogue at this time, as well, and we encourage you to make a meaningful contribution at this time.  However, while you are under no obligation to do so, it is helpful to understand how many other congregations have traditionally operated.  Many variations on this tradition exist, but quite common is a donation to the Rabbi’s Disrectionary Fund, and/or a contribution to the synagogue’s general operating fund.  While your tuition generally covers two-thirds of the cost of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program, and your membership dues contribute to the financial life of the congregation, additional funds are always welcome to help cover the remaining costs of the program, including costs of scholarships and other special uses. 

Finally, Kehilla is in the middle of the Terumah project, our capital campaign to  for the wonderful building we purchased.  Often, family and friends from far and wide will attend a Kehilla Shabbat morning with a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and remark that they have been especially moved.  Feel free to encourage them to contribute to the general well-being of the congregation by making a donation to any of the above in honor of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

14.  Limited Scholarship Assistance

    Limited scholarship assistance may be available for families who are unable to pay the full tuition.  Families are encouraged to contribute to the scholarship fund if they are able to do so.  Those requiring scholarship assistance are requested to submit a brief letter along with their application for enrollment, explaining the basis of their need, to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program Scholarship Committee.   All financial information will be held in greatest confidentiality.