B*Mitzvah Project

Family-Crafted B-Mitzvah: The Grandparent’s Role in Creating a Unique Experience

This Family-Crafted B-Mitzvah guide is meant to launch you into a grandparent-led experience or ritual marking the newest Jewish adult in your family — your teen grandchild. The guide is both a menu and a template. Its purpose is to spark conversation and activities that lead to a B-Mitzvah event that fits your own Jewish story.

In the guide you will find: 

  • Why it’s entirely legitimate and valid to create a B-Mitzvah experience that suits your family’s unique priorities and needs 
  • How to establish shared expectations with your adult children and teen grandchild 
  • The role of clergy and other ritual facilitators in your ceremony 
  • Two sample ceremonies: 1) Traditional Approach: A Home-Based Ceremony, and 2) The Art of B-Mitzvah: A Sensory-Conscious Approach 
  • Steps for building each ceremony, including how to choose or make ritual and creative objects 
  • Examples of other types of ceremonies and projects 

You might be inspired to use an entire sample ceremony or select discrete pieces to adopt and adapt. We look forward to hearing what sort of B-Mitzvah adventures you design. May you find new blessings, meaning, and hope on the journey. 

Photographic Credits:

Far left, Jo Resnick Rosen; far right, Stephanie Fink; middle three photos, Sadie Braunstein