The Bnei Mitzvah Course

The bnei mitzvah [children of the commandment] is the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony. It involves studying Jewish history and Jewish theology, and learning to read Hebrew. It ends in a ceremony at synagogue, with family and friends celebrating together. This usually happens when a Jew turns thirteen, but it can be done at any age.

The Bnei Mitzvah Course is a course for adults who did not have a bnei mitzvah, or didn’t like theirs when they did, or had it in a different name or gender. It is a chance to explore Judaism with no preconditions about beliefs, background or practice.

The course curriculum is developed by the students. We explore Judaism, including festivals, rituals, texts and history. We learn to read from and wrestle with the Torah. We explore a revolutionary Judaism, discussing what Judaism means for workers, women, queers, people of colour, and kol bnei adam [all the children of humanity]. At the end of the course is the coming-of-age ceremony, where the students read from the Torah, give a d’var torah [a word of Torah], take on a Hebrew name and celebrate all that they have learned have learned.

This course happens yearly, with an online and in-person option. Our courses are currently running and the next intake will be Autumn 2025.

A bnei mitzvah student is standing on the bima, reading from a Torah scroll that Student Rabbi Hava is holding. Mich is standing by the side of the bima, reading a tikkun. Everyone is wearing tallitot.
The students stand on the bima, looking towards Student Rabbi Hava, who is performing hagba'a - the act of holding up the Torah scroll with the words that are to be recited shown on it.
A student is holding the yad, reading from the Torah. Student Rabbi Hava is guiding her hand. They both wear tallitot, one in the Ashkenazi style and one in the Sephardi style.
Rabbi Lev stands ready to help a Bnei Mitzvah student read from Torah. They are both wearing tallitot striped with blue.
A Torah scroll is being held open at the Song of the Sea. There is a yad, held by Rabbi Lev, in the righthand corner.