The Bnei Mitzvah Course
Feygeles by Shterna Goldbloom aims to make visible that which has historically been hidden. Handmade contemporary Torah scrolls reveal photographs and interviews with LGBTQIA Jews who have struggled to find ways of integrating their history and family traditions with their sexuality and gender. Feygeles, a Yiddish slur meaning both gay and little bird, expresses both the Queerness of these Jews and their flight.
Bnei Mitzvah ceremony is the Jewish coming-of-age ritual, with bnei mitzvah translating as "children of the commandment." 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 as a person affirms their commitment to upholding the commandments, thereby taking their place as an adult in Jewish community. This usually happens when a Jewish child turns twelve or thirteen, but it can be done at any age.
The Bnei Mitzvah Course is a course for Jewish adults who did not have a bnei mitzvah, 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.
What does the course cover?
The course curriculum is developed by the students. We explore Judaism, including festivals, rituals, texts and history. For example, last year’s cohort chose to learn about “Life after death in the Jewish tradition,” “Jewish-Muslim relations,” “Jewish Myth and Magic,” and many other topics. We will also learn to read from and wrestle with the Torah. We explore a revolutionary Judaism, discussing what Judaism means for Jews of all identities and kol bnei adam [all the children of humanity].
We explore what it means - to different communities, and to each of us - to become bnei mitzvah and take on the responsibilities of a Jewish adult.
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 are celebrated as Jewish adults.
Is this course for me?
If you feel attracted to this description, then the answer is overwhelmingly likely to be yes!
This course is open to anyone who identifies as Jewish, regardless of family background, level of knowledge, gender or sexual orientation. We're not interested in policing anyone's Jewish identity.
As this course involves preparing for taking on the responsibilities of a Jewish adult (as you, together with your community, understand them), it is a course for people who already identify as Jewish, and isn't a conversion course.
We know the matter of identifying yourself and being identified as Jewish can be a sticky one, and certainly has not been a straightforward journey for many of us! If you're unsure at all, fill in the application form and we can schedule a phone call to chat it through. Or drop us an email at yael@yeshiva.lgbt <3
Logistics:
This course runs from February to June. Pending sign ups, we plan to run one online and one hybrid cohort. The online course will be on Wednesday evenings. The hybrid option will be on Sunday mornings and will combine online classes with regular in-person gatherings in London. These gatherings may take the form of a walking tour around the Jewish East End, a visit to a Jewish farm, Jewish craft sessions and much more. Both courses will culminate in July with an in-person Bnei Mitzvah ceremony in London. We will finalise this mid-Jan.
This course will be led by teachers Elan (they/he), Felix (they/them) and Yael (they/she) and will also invite guest teachers to share on their areas of expertise.
Tuition:
Regular cost: £500
Supported cost: £250
Scholarship: £50
We can’t wait to meet you!
“The QY B’nei Mitzvah course was one of the most meaningful experiences of my adult life thus far; to learn and share torah with peers from a diversity of minhagim [customs], locations, and levels of knowledge, and to construct our own curriculum, and to then conclude our 6-month period of study in a queer-led ritual in a synagogue is a powerful reclamation of our authenticity, validity, presence, and unique torah. In this space we weren’t simply included, we were centered, which is a unique experience for Jews on the margins. The teachers, roshim, and student peers make up a warm, welcoming, and non-judgemental environment where all Jews can feel confident to be affirmed as b’nei mitzvah, regardless if you were raised with study and high levels of observance or whether you’re an absolute beginner. I can’t recommend the experience enough.”
