B–Mitzvah

The Moving Traditions B–Mitzvah Family Education Program

Becoming a teen is hard for preteens and for their parents, especially today, with current realities heightening the transition to this new stage of life. To support families when they most need support and while they are engaged in Jewish life, leading up to the b-mitzvah, we seek to make Jewish family education at adolescence as commonplace as it is for preschoolers. 

Moving Traditions’ approach to preteen Jewish family education inspires connection to Jewish community by centering on human development and the parent-child relationship. 

Moving Traditions is at the forefront with the Moving Traditions B-Mitzvah Family Education Program, building the growing field. Our B–Mitzvah program enables clergy and Jewish educators in communities across North America to help preteens and families navigate this life stage by addressing the joys and challenges of becoming and parenting a teen. 

Bring B-Mitzvah to your community!

Ask your local synagogue or Jewish institution if they’re offering Moving Traditions B-Mitzvah Family Education – or partner with us to become a partner! 

In our easy-to-use curriculum, all interactive family education sessions and preteen modules: 

  • Frame the b–mitzvah experience as the process of “becoming a teen” 
  • Foster dialogue between parents and preteens 
  • Address the social-emotional needs of 6th and 7th graders 
  • Draw on Jewish teachings and ritual to address current issues in the lives of families 

Want to get a taste of what participants talk about? Request sample curriculum or take a look at the B-Mitzvah curricular overview.  

Hundreds of families have experienced our B-Mitzvah family education sessions over the past 4 years and the feedback has been overwhelming: 

  • 91% of parents agreed that “Today’s session helped me feel like I am a part of a Jewish community that supports me as a parent’ 
  • 83% of preteens agreed that “Today’s session helped me feel like I am a part of a Jewish community that supports who I am.” 
  • 91% of clergy say, “the B-Mitzvah program aided me to 
    help preteens connect Jewish wisdom to their social-emotional development.”  

See more findings about this program in Family Education @ B-Mitzvah: A Moving Traditions White Paper.  

“It was nice to be reminded that other families share the same conflicts, and to learn some concrete solutions that are rooted in Jewish tradition. The family session was a good opportunity to start having meaningful conversations with my child.”  – 6th grade parent 

Logistics

What: All sessions are experiential in nature and include games, Jewish texts, prompts and activities that will get participants moving around the room and interacting with one another. The program is designed to be as “plug and play” as possible for you as the educator. Each session contains a sample invitation for parents, all handouts ready to print, a materials list and a full script to use as needed.  

Who: The B-Mitzvah program is designed for 6th and 7th graders and their parents. Some of our partners choose to run our program with only 6th grade, some choose to run it with only 7th grade. Some choose to run it with both grades in parallel. Smaller communities often run the program with a combination of 6th and 7th grade families. We are currently piloting 5th grade family sessions as well. 

How: Typically, our partners run 2-3 family sessions per school year and 4-5 preteen sessions. Each Family session is designed to be about 90 minutes of content in person and is often run by a combination of clergy and educators. Each Preteen session is designed to be approximately 60 minutes of content and is often run by a classroom teacher. All of our content is available for both in-person and online meetings. 

Funding Partners

Lasko Family Foundation