A Bar Mitzvah (literally, “son of law”, or, on A&E, “Son of Law & Order”) is a Jewish teenager who has been through a Jewish religious rite of passage, ceremonially and symbolically marking the age at which the child passes into young “adulthood”. In common usage, “get Bar-Mitzvah’d” and “at your Bar Mitzvah” are often heard. However, the words “Bar Mitzvah” actually refer to the person who is going through the rite of passage, as in “I became a Bar Mitzvah on May 10th, 2014” and “The Bar Mitzvah has arrived at his party!” Very often, to keep confusion to a minimum, Jews of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) descent will refer to the young man as a Bar Mitzvah Bocher (the “ch” is a clearing of the throat, not a “ch” sound like in “chihuahua”). The word “Bocher” is Yiddish for “young man”.

More information in the Bar Mitzvah article on Wikipedia.

Services start at 9:30am. There is a short (half hour or less) traditional morning service, following by the “Torah service”, during which the ceremonial reciting of the Bible (in Hebrew) will take place. This is the “main event”, from the standpoint of a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.

A 14-passenger shuttle bus is provided by the Hilton Embassy Suites. It will depart the hotel at 8:50am on Saturday, May 10th, to ensure arrive by 9:30am at Beth Israel.

The shuttle will also transport people from Beth Israel back to the hotel for the reception. Departure from Beth Israel is at 12:30pm.

It will be very easy to find a ride to the reception from Beth Israel.

There will be a 14-person shuttle bus provided by the venue, departing Beth Israel at 12:30pm. There will be plenty of room on this shuttle to accommodate classmates from Hebrew School!

There are no plans for a shuttle bus from the venue back to Beth Israel at 5pm, so please plan on picking up your child at the reception venue at 5pm.

If this presents a true hardship, please send an e-mail to the address on your invitation to discuss your specific circumstances.

There will be a “smooth transition” of beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres prior to the meal, to allow people time to arrive at the reception venue.

The luncheon meal itself gives guests several options (put simply: chicken, fish, or vegetarian). All choices come with salad and sides. A children’s selection is available.

Please RSVP and you will be given the opportunity to choose your meal as part of the RSVP process.

The reception will be held following the end of morning services and after the post-service “kiddush” (blessing over the wine). We anticipate the reception will start around 1pm. There will be a “smooth transition” of beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres prior to the meal, to allow people time to arrive at the reception venue.

The reception will be held at the Hilton Embassy Suites Valley Forge, located in Wayne, PA, on the Chesterbrook exit of Rt. 202, at 888 Chesterbrook Blvd. Please use the Directions section of this website for Google Maps and additional detail.

A 14-passenger shuttle bus is provided by the Hilton Embassy Suites. It will depart the hotel at 8:50am on Saturday, May 10th, to ensure arrive by 9:30am at Beth Israel.

The shuttle will also transport people from Beth Israel back to the hotel for the reception. Departure from Beth Israel is at 12:30pm.

It will be very easy to find a ride to the reception from Beth Israel.

There will be a 14-person shuttle bus provided by the venue, departing Beth Israel at 12:30pm. There will be plenty of room on this shuttle to accommodate classmates from Hebrew School!

There are no plans for a shuttle bus from the venue back to Beth Israel at 5pm, so please plan on picking up your child at the reception venue at 5pm.

If this presents a true hardship, please send an e-mail to the address on your invitation to discuss your specific circumstances.

Services start at 9:30am. There is a short (half hour or less) traditional morning service, following by the “Torah service”, during which the ceremonial reciting of the Bible (in Hebrew) will take place. This is the “main event”, from the standpoint of a Bar Mitzvah ceremony.

The reception will be held at the Hilton Embassy Suites Valley Forge, located in Wayne, PA, on the Chesterbrook exit of Rt. 202, at 888 Chesterbrook Blvd. Please use the Directions section of this website for Google Maps and additional detail.

The reception is the joyous culmination of a religious rite of passage. Out of respect for the Bar Mitzvah, it is expected that those who honor him by attending the reception will also honor him by supporting him with their presence at the religious service.

Of course, your children are welcome and encouraged to celebrate with us! Please register each child separately in the RSVP so we have an accurate count. Thank you!

The RSVP form supports providing information for up to five people in your party. Please contact us via e-mail if you intend to bring more than a total of five people. Thank you!

The reception is the joyous culmination of a religious rite of passage. Out of respect for the Bar Mitzvah, it is expected that those who honor him by attending the reception will also honor him by supporting him with their presence at the religious service.