Education Requirements
for Becoming A Bar/Bat Mitzvah

1. Any student planning to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah must be enrolled in and attending Sinai Temple Religious School or an equivalent school which is organized and run under Jewish auspices.

This means that if the child becomes Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Seventh Grade, he or she must be enrolled in, attend, and complete the Seventh Grade Sunday, and mid-week Hebrew programs. (There is a minimal requirement of three years in our Sunday and Hebrew programs for anyone moving into the area after Third Grade, which is the grade in which students begin their formal Hebrew studies.)

If the child becomes Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Eighth Grade, he or she must be enrolled in, attend, and complete the Eighth Grade program offered by Sinai Temple.

It is also our understanding that Bar/Bat Mitzvah is part of the larger educational program at Sinai. All students are expected to continue learning through to the end of Tenth Grade Confirmation.

2. Students who previously attended a Jewish day School, but are not presently attending one, will be required to attend Sinai Temple’s Sunday program. In addition, they will be evaluated by the Rabbi, Cantor and/or Director of Education to determine their competency in Hebrew. Any child attending a Jewish Day School at the time of Bar/Bat Mitzvah but not during the previous few years will be evaluated to determine their competency in Hebrew. If the child’s competency is deemed satisfactory, he/she will be considered to have met the equivalent of the Hebrew program at Sinai. If the child’s competency is unsatisfactory, individualized assignments according to need will be developed by the Director of Education.

3. Sinai Temple Religious School will make every reasonable effort to meet the needs of special needs learners. Parents of children with documented special needs may, in addition, elect to provide individual Hebrew tutoring for their children based on the following criteria:
To be eligible, the child must have a current IEP in place and be receiving special services in school. Parents should share the IEP, relevant assessments and/or other appropriate information with the Director of Education.
The Director of Education will monitor each child’s progress with a minimum of 2 evaluations per year.
The child’s family must meet with the Rabbi, Cantor and Director of Education at least one year prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah to discuss the specifics of the ceremony.

4. Exceptions to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah requirement policies will be considered if submitted in writing to the Religious School Committee. The Committee will respond in writing within seven days following its next regularly scheduled meeting. If the family is not satisfied, they may seek review of their request by the Sinai Temple Board of Trustees. (All decisions of The Board of Trustees are final).

A special note: The temple office closes at 5:00 p.m. and the front side door is locked at that time. Those students or families who have lessons or are meeting with the Cantor or Rabbi after this time should enter the building through the rear portico door. If it is locked please ring the bell and someone will let you in.