B'nai Mitzvah
TO BE THIRTEEN
To be thirteen is to stand between two worlds: the past of childhood and the promise of adulthood. Adolescence is the bridge between them. Crossing that bridge can be, at times, precarious and painful. An important aspect of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah at Congregation Ner Shalom is that the experience provides our young people with the kinds of skills and experiences (e.g., discipline, self-reliance, self-trust, capacity for abstract thinking) they will need to navigate a path to a meaningful adult religious life.
Ner Shalom's Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program seeks to maintain high standards. Our students are expected to acquire a significant amount of Jewish learning and competency. In leading a worship service, working with a tutor over an extended period of time, studying with the rabbi, giving a speech, etc. our students are asked to meet adult demands.
The program is designed to cultivate a student's capacity for critical and creative thinking. Through focused engagement with Jewish texts (Torah, midrash, prayers) and interaction with the tutor, rabbi, b'nei mitzvah coordinator and others the program helps the student reach is greatest potential- personally, spiritually, morally.
If a child seeks only to get his or her bar/bat mitzvah "over with", the congregation has failed in its mission. It is our sincere hope that this concentrated period of study foster a thirst for Jewish learning that will be an abiding source of personal strength.
More information is provided in Congregation Ner Shalom's B'Nai Mitzvah Handbook.
Fri, June 9 2023
20 Sivan 5783
Upcoming Events
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Saturday ,
JunJune 10 , 2023
Shabbat, Jun 10th 7:00p to 10:00p
Join us at a Ner Shalom wine tasting Saturday June 10, 7pm. The wine will be supplied by Chateau O'Brien Winery. There will also be snacks, non alcoholic beverages and good company. . Please join us in wishing the Levy family "zol zayn mit mazl" as they prepare to leave Virginia for their new home in Florida. There is a $10 charge per person for this wonderful evening. There will also be wine for sale Please RSVP by June 1. Questions? Contact Debby at ekibbitz@nershalomva.org -
Sunday ,
JunJune 11 , 2023
Sunday, Jun 11th 1:00p to 2:00p
Join us as we learn about Jewish ideas of the Messiah, the Messianic Age, and how it has evolved over the last 5,000 years. -
Friday ,
JunJune 16 , 2023
Friday, Jun 16th 7:30p to 8:30p
Erev Shabbat Services most Friday nights at 7:30 in the sanctuary -
Sunday ,
JunJune 18 , 2023
Sunday, Jun 18th 1:00p to 2:00p
Join us as we learn about Jewish ideas of the Messiah, the Messianic Age, and how it has evolved over the last 5,000 years. -
Friday ,
JunJune 23 , 2023
Friday, Jun 23rd 7:30p to 8:30p
Erev Shabbat Services most Friday nights at 7:30 in the sanctuary -
Wednesday ,
JunJune 28 , 2023
Wednesday, Jun 28th 10:30a to 12:00p
Join us on Zoom as we discussed our next Book Club choice, The Thread Collectors by Shaunna Edwards and Alyson Richman. 1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician. Meanwhile, in New York City, a Jewish woman stitches a quilt for her husband, who is stationed in Louisiana with the Union Army. Between abolitionist meetings, Lily rolls bandages and crafts quilts with her sewing circle for other soldiers, too, hoping for their safe return home. But when months go by without word from her husband, Lily resolves to make the perilous journey South to search for him. As these two women risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War, their paths converge in New Orleans, where an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us. Loosely inspired by the authors' family histories, this stunning novel will stay with readers for a long time. -
Saturday ,
JulJuly 1 , 2023
Shabbat, Jul 1st 10:00a to 11:00a
At the synagogue! -
Friday ,
JulJuly 7 , 2023
Friday, Jul 7th 7:30p to 8:30p
Erev Shabbat Services most Friday nights at 7:30 in the sanctuary -
Wednesday ,
JulJuly 12 , 2023
Wednesday, Jul 12th 6:30p to 8:00p
On Zoom with Captions provided as an option. Explore and discuss samples of poetry from modern poets with poet & visual artist & teaching artist, Liz Mariani. Join us as we embrace this sacred storytelling tradition in this month of Av. Poetry is a Lion's Roar. Enter open for anything. Leave inspired. Liz Mariani, MFA (they, she) is a queer poet born in Buffalo, NY. They earned an MFA in Poetry from Mills College. Linktr.ee/liz.mariani.poetry & @liz.mariani.poetry on Instagram. https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/liz_mariani Open for 8 Adults, so please register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtcuyqrD8uHNUCJ56mMk2jyN0zrcVlmp3L -
Friday ,
JulJuly 21 , 2023
Friday, Jul 21st 7:30p to 8:30p
Erev Shabbat Services most Friday nights at 7:30 in the sanctuary
Ner Shalom in the News
- Washington Jewish Week - June 30, 2020
CNS Branded Masks Save Lives
- Prince WIlliam Living - September 20, 2019
Annual Patriot Day Shabbat
- Prince William Living - August 26, 2019
Learn About the Jewish High Holidays!
- Prince William Living - July 16, 2019
Synagogue in Summer
- Prince William Living - May 16, 2019
Seasons of Our Joy
- Prince William Living - March 20, 2019
- Learning About Jewish Traditions
- Building an Inclusive & Vibrant Community
- - Prince William Living - December 14, 2018
- The Future of the Community
- - Prince William Living - November 20, 2018
- Coming Together After a National Tragedy
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