Schedule a ceremony at our center
Our center is available for you to have ceremony for any Jewish life cycle event, like Bar/Bat mitzvah, Wedding, Bris, Baby Naming, Pidion Haben and others.
We don’t have a fee for the rabbi/rebbetzin services, so we do welcome donations for the time and dedication of our Rabbi and Rebetzin. The amount might vary a lot – we suggest something between US$100 and US$1,800 (but you are welcome to give more if you can!).
We have a fee of $500 for the use of our center, that includes cleaning fee and any cost of the amenities. It does not include food/drinks/paper goods/decoration (we do have chair cover to lend) ….
The ceremony at our center will depend on your personal preferences. But please note the basic guidelines below, which are equal to all ceremonies:
❖ Before having the ceremony check with our Rabbi/Rebetzin about the correct Jewish date.
❖ Please dress modestly to respect the sanctity of our synagogue.
❖ No homemade food is allowed at our center. We only allow food from a kosher cater pre-approved by us. You cannot buy “ready” food in a kosher supermarket unless approved by our Rabbi or hire a cater different from the options we give (unless approved by the Rabbi).
❖ Videos, cameras, microphones and cellphones are not allowed on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays. On weekday events, it is allowed to take pictures or videos the entire service, or to hire a professional to do it. If doing a Shabbat celebration, you may want to plan a pre-Bar Mitzvah photography/video session at the Shul.
❖ Aliyot and additional honors are traditionally bestowed on the family and close friends of the Family. The person needs to be Jewish to be called to the Torah. Please speak to the Rabbi about who do you want to honor.
❖ All candies must be preapproved by the Rabbi and brought to our center before Shabbat/ Jewish Holiday starts.
❖All paper goods should be provided by family or cater and be brought to our center before Shabbat/Jewish holidays starts.
❖ You are welcome to decorate our center for your family celebration, please be in touch with Rebetzin Esther about details.
❖ You can bring alcohol for the ceremony. Contact our Rabbi for a list of approved liquor. All liquor needs to be brought to our center before Shabbat/Jewish holidays starts.
❖ There is separate seating during the services. The Kiddush luncheon afterwards is mixed.
❖ We do not have a cleaning lady on our staff, so it is very much appreciated your help on cleaning after the event.
SCHEDULE YOUR CEREMONY AT OUR CENTERIf you are interested in a Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony specifically, please see below some information about how does a ceremony at our center works on Shabbat and on weekdays:
Shabbat Morning Services:
* Shabbat Morning Services begin at 10:00 AM with Shacharit. It includes the Torah & Haftorah Readings, which are followed by the Rabbis insightful speech on the Torah reading, and the Musaf service. Services end by 1:00 PM and after this the family is encouraged to sponsor the sit-down Kiddush luncheon at which the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child and any other members of the family can speak.
The Bar-mitzvah boy and male Jewish family members above 13 will be called to the Torah.
The Bat-mitzvah girl will say a prayer and male Jewish family members above 13 will be called to the Torah.
No electronics allowed, this means no pictures, videos, cellphones, …
Weekday Services:
** Weekday Shacharit (morning service) is approximately 1 hour long. The Bar Mitzvah boy wears his Tefillin. There is a short Torah reading which is read only on Monday, Thursday or special occasions such as Rosh Chodesh (1st day of Hebrew month). Days like Memorial Day, Presidents Day, Thanksgiving Day and Labor Day might work for your family. The services are usually followed by a breakfast/brunch/dinner for your guests.
We don’t usually have prayer service at our center during the week, so only you and your guests will be present at the ceremony. To be able to have the ceremony we need to have Minian (10 Jewish man above 13 years old).
The Bar-mitzvah boy and male Jewish family members above 13 will be called to the Torah.
The Bat-mitzvah girl will say a prayer and male Jewish family members above 13 will be called to the Torah.