B'nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2023-2024

The B’nai Mitzvah Family Journey is a customized, culturally sensitive family program for parents and their bar/bat mitzvah aged teens. The year-long program offers Russian-speaking Jewish families an immersive, multifaceted experience, so children and parents can learn about the history, significance, traditions, and ritual of becoming bar/bat mitzvah through a culturally sensitive lens and in the comfort of a like-minded community.

B'Nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2023-2024 cohort is full. Please fill out this form to be placed on the waiting list for our future cohorts.

Waiting List

B’nai Mitzvah Family Journey is an educational program for Bar/Bat Mitzvah aged teens and their parents with B’nai Mitzvah ceremony in New York and a ceremony in Israel.

The program offers:

  • B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony in New York on February 11, 2024
  • An organized trip to Israel and a ceremony in Jerusalem (February 19-February 23, 2024)
  • Opening retreat – Friday, September 8- Sunday, September 10, 2023 at Camp Zeke
  • 8 Group educational sessions for the whole family, September  2023-February 2024
  •  A mentor will be matched with each teen for individual sessions
  • Mitzvah (volunteer) project
  • Shabbat dinners hosted and attended by participating families

Families will gather for 8 educational sessions, where parents and teens learn about Jewish history and traditions that have been passed down through generations. * Sessions will take place in person with social distancing rules observed.
Sessions take place on Sundays, 11am- 2pm.
September 24, 2023
October 22, 2023
November 12, 2023
December 3, 2023
December 17, 2023
January 7, 2024
January 21, 2024
February 4, 2024- Ceremony Rehearsal

Each family will choose a personally meaningful Mitzvah Project, practicing the value of Tikkun Olam- acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world. They will also deepen their engagement with the community and each other.

Individual sessions for teens will give them an opportunity for personal Jewish exploration with a knowledgeable mentor.


Program Cost: $4,100

Program cost includes:
* All educational sessions for the whole family (including teens, parents, and siblings)
* Family retreat at Camp Zeke
* Individual sessions with mentors (up to 6)
* Group ceremony and celebration in NY (up to 7 family members included in addition to the B’Nai Mitzvah teen)

Israel Experience Cost
Israel experience will cost $1,350 for every person traveling. It will include all ground costs (hotels, transportation, tour guides, entrance fees). It will not include airline tickets (each family will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements). *Registration for Israel Experience takes place after the cohort is launched and is separate from the Program Registration.

Program Registration is complete only upon receiving the full payment. Payment can be made by regular check, electronic check or credit card

*To Pay by Check:
Please put in “0” in the amount paid upon registration and then press submit.
Please make your check for $4,100 payable to COJECO and mail it to:
COJECO 729 7 Ave 9 Fl
New York, NY 10019
*add B’Nai Mitzvah in the check memo

To Pay By Credit Card:
For your convenience, you may pay the full amount with a credit card using our online payment system. Please note, you need to add 3.5%  processing fee to the total amount, making your registration fee $4,245.

 

Past cohorts’ photo and video gallery
B’Nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2020-2021
B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony in New York, June 20, 2021

B’Nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2019-2020
Opening Retreat in Poconos, September 20-22, 2019
B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony in New York, February 9, 2020
B’Nai Mitzvah Ceremony in Israel, February 22, 2020

B’Nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2018-2019
B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony in New York, February 10, 2019
B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony video
B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony in Jerusalem, February 21, 2019

 

For more information

or if you have any questions, please e-mail
Yigal Kotler at:

yigalk@cojeco.org