Special to the Washtenaw Jewish News, March 2022
Throughout this school year, Temple Beth Emeth has expanded how they prepare their families for the Bar and Bat Mitzvah journey, or, as Moving Traditions calls it, the “B-Mitzvah” journey. Moving Traditions is a Jewish educational organization seeking to transform Jewish teen education and engagement. From their website, www.movingtraditions.org, “Moving Traditions connects the issues preteens and teens care about most — such as body image, social and academic pressure, friendship, romance, and sexuality — to enduring Jewish values, fosters positive peer-to-peer relationships through our trained educators and mentors, and inspires participants to develop an ongoing connection to Jewish community. By promoting a more inclusive and expansive view of gender for Jewish girls, boys, and transgender and nonbinary teens, we create a more vibrant, engaging Judaism that helps all teens to flourish.”