B'nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2025-2026
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 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.
- B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony in New York – February 8th, 2026
- An organized trip to Israel and a ceremony in Jerusalem (February 16-20th, 2026)
- Opening retreat – September 12th-14th, 2025 in Lakewood, PA
- 8 Group educational sessions for the whole family, September 2025-February 2026
- 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 take place on Sundays, 11am- 2pm in Manhattan. Session dates for B’nai Mitzvah Family Journey 2025-2026 may be subject to change.
September 28
October 12
October 26
November 16
November 23
December 21
January 11
February 1
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. Teens will present their projects during the B’Nai Mitzvah ceremony.
Individual sessions for teens will give them an opportunity for personal Jewish exploration with a knowledgeable mentor and prepare them for the B’Nai Mitzvah ceremony.
Program Cost: $6,300
Program cost includes:
* Opening weekend retreat for the entire family at Camp Zeke
* All educational sessions for the whole family (including teens, parents, and siblings)
* 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 cost is $1,350 for every person traveling. It includes all ground costs (hotels, transportation, tour guides, entrance fees). It does 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 program payment.
If interested, please click on “Register” and fill out the registration form. Once the form is filled out, you will see the instructions on providing the program payment.
Payment plans can be set up with COJECO after paying a deposit of $2,100.
Refund Policy
95% refund available until June 15th, 2025.
50% refund until September 20th, 2025.
No refunds after October 1st, 2025.
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
