When’s the right time for a rite of passage?

October 15, 2009 - 12:32 PM by Gilah · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Religion, Travel, health

It’s generally accepted that the Israeli perspective on the bar/bat mitzvah ceremony is different from its counterpart in the US.
I remember when Susie and three of her closest friends decided to celebrate their bat mitzvahs together – they were all around 40-years-old at the time.
They had been studying Torah as a group in Jerusalem for a year and a half. It all started when Boston-born Susie, who had already been in Israel for more than 20 years, started to feel that while her Jewish identity was her primary identity, which is why she had moved here, it was time for her to confront her “awe of the Torah.”
Sally, Ruti and Janet had also been in Israel for a couple of decades and for various reasons, none of the four had had a bat mitzvah back in the States. In fact, the first bat mitzvah was held by American rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan, a major figure in Jewish thought and the founder of the Reconstructionist movement, for his daughter Judith in 1922.
So the culmination of 18 months of study and learning to read from the holy book was a ceremony at Jerusalem’s Kol Haneshama .
Now the idea didn’t resonate with everybody, but at that June ceremony 12 years ago no one could fail to be moved by the four women’s obvious quiet joy and pride in their achievements.
The bat mitzvahs of those forty-somethings inevitably came to mind when I received an e-mail recently, telling me about another group of delayed bar/bat mitzvah celebrants, en route to Israel.
Some of the participants at the upcoming celebration will be using walkers. Oxygen and wheelchairs will be available for emergencies. Five nurses will be traveling with the group. The average age of the participants in this particular version of the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony? Eighty-five.
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Tags: bat mitzvah, elderly, empowering women, feminism, jerusalem, Kol Haneshama, masada, Reconstructionism, Reform, Religion, Torah, Travel, wheelchairs

Vote for the Gila dance video

February 25, 2009 - 11:46 AM by Rachel Neiman · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Art, General, Life, Pop Culture

ISRAEL21c’s video about the Gila dance troupe is in the running for Dance Media.com’s DanceSprit Video of the Month. There are still a few days left to February, so dance lovers and people who love dance lovers are invited to click here, register and vote.
The video is about Gila, a troupe of older women dancers whose choreography encompasses dance, acting, video, music, humor and life stories. Choreographer Galit Liss created the show two years ago, after interviewing elderly women and discovering the beauty of old age. Her aim: to show audiences across Israel that growing old can also mean growing young. Help spread the word about this unique project and vote!