Congregation Netivot Shalom

Shalom! This site is both for the Bat and Bar Mitzvah Families, students, and guests! (Visit our "Jewish Prayer Resources Page" for help entering and enjoying our services! (Leining and Davening).  Our synagogue, Netivot Shalom, "Paths of Peace," is a Masorti (Conservative) egalitarian congregation that welcomes all visitors! We are a vibrant community of thoughtful, observant Jews who come together to daven (pray), teach, learn, and do the work of tikkun olam (repairing the world). We hope that this Shabbat guide gives you some idea what to expect at our Shabbat service, and are glad to welcome you! (Also, Check out the CNS Shabbat Morning Audio Guide & download some davening!)

When Jewish boys and girls become bar and bat mitzvah, they reach a new stage of development in their lives and start thinking about the kind of people they want to be, emerging from the world of childhood as their moral awareness and sensitivity develop, enabling them to take complete responsibility for their actions. B'nei Mitzvah are celebrated with a festive meal, with the community, family and friends of the bar or bat mitzvah on hand to celebrate their ritual landmark. The meal is often accompanied by speeches from friends and relatives who encourage the bar or bat mitzvah to undertake their new role as a full-fledged Jewish adult with joy, and to strive to add spirituality to their lives. Please be in touch with Rabbi Menachem Creditor or Eliana Kissner, Director of Amitim, for more information.

This is the B'nei Mitzvah Covenant towards which we strive at Congregation Netivot Shalom:

• Our goal at Netivot Shalom is to nurture in Amitim a Bar/Bat Mitzvah program that is a spiritual and religious experience connecting child and family to God, and the Jewish people to each other.
• Our Bar/Bat Mitzvah program will be caring.  We will always strive to be gentle, kind, considerate, patient, and sensitive to our students and parents.  We will create an environment that enhances the spiritual and religious experience of Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
• Parental involvement is key to the success of Amitim and to the entire Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience. We will encourage and nurture the involvement of parents with students.
• The regular and continuous involvement with student and parents affords the opportunity for relationship development.  Long-lasting bonds will be created between student, parent, rabbi, tutors and teachers during the course of each student' progress, which will continue for a lifetime.
• Our children will achieve a very high level of excellence, as defined by the children themselves, one by one. We will help our B'nei Mitzvah do the very best they are capable of doing. The better prepared our B'nei Mitzvah, the more positive the experience - for everyone.
• We will connect the child to Judaism, family, Israel and the Jewish people.

Some Helpful Links:

• • The Shefa Network "LifeCycles" web page
  • MyJewishLearning.com "Bar/Bat Mitzvah" web page
  • The "Adolescence" web page on RitualWell.org