COJECO – To launch a cohort-based adult b’nai mitzvah program for Russian-speaking Jews in the New York City area that will strengthen participants’ connections to Jewish culture and tradition.

You’ve already had a successful b’nai mitzvah family program. What was the catalyst for creating a b’nai mitzvah program for parents and other RSJ adults?

In September 2024, we opened a new cohort of our popular B’nai Mitzvah Family Journey for the Russian-speaking community with the family retreat. One of the first questions we asked participants was how many of the parents celebrated a bar or bat mitzvah. This time (as we had seen previously), all the parents said that they had never had this opportunity, but many were interested. Moreover, at least three generations of their ancestors in the USSR did not have, and could not have had, a b’nai mitzvah experience. It was the moment when we finally decided to launch the new Adult B’Nai Mitzvah program as a response to such clearly demonstrated interest.

What are you most looking forward to seeing emerge during this project, and in the future?

For the participants, this program will be a meaningful step in their lifecycle. It will increase their motivation for adult Jewish learning and strengthen their Jewish identity and community involvement. This program will have a significant impact on their entire family. Participants will become role models for their children, other family members, and their community. This program will provide a great opportunity for building connections between multiple generations, and it will help bridge the generation gap common in immigrant families.

What’s the most meaningful experience you’ve had as an educator? 

In mid-February, the ceremony that concluded our annual B’nai Mitzvah Family Journey took place. On that day, for the first time, in addition to the teenagers participating in the program, Russian-speaking Holocaust survivors, whom we specially invited, also became b’nai mitzvah. Teens and seniors (most of whom are over 90 years old) stood together around a Torah scroll, under a large tallit. One of them said through tears: “We survived the fire of the Holocaust so that a day like today could happen, when we are b’nai mitzvah together with our grandchildren and see the future of the Jewish people.” This moment was probably my most meaningful educational experience in recent times.