Bar & Bat Mitzvah Alternatives : Online, In-person, Class or Individual - Adventure Rabbi

Bar & Bat Mitzvah Alternatives : Online, In-person, Class or Individual

Our Online or In-Person Bar and Bat Mitzvah Classes are radically different than anything you have encountered.

We use Judaism and nature to teach Bar and Bat Mitzvah students the skills they will need to be content, compassionate, confident, and responsible teenagers.

We offer a choice of classes, but they all share two goals:

  • For the Bar or Bat Mitzvah students to love being Jewish.
  • For your family to discover that Judaism is meaningful, relevant, and accessible.

How the program works:

You can hire us simply to do your ceremony or enroll in our meaningful, non-traditional Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah training.

I. First, choose a path of study to bring meaning to the experience. Choose from:

  1. The Online class (8 1-hr classes, 5 private sessions w/ the Rabbi, & ceremony)
  2. The Adventure Class (15 in-person classes, 4 private sessions w/ the Rabbi, & ceremony)
  3. Bespoke Classes (18 custom lessons)

II. Second, choose our Hebrew or non-Hebrew option

  1. For the Bar Mitzvah track, add your Hebrew lessons. You will need weekly meetings with a Hebrew tutor. You can find your own or use one of our great tutors online or in person. To be in the Adventure Class, you must also study Hebrew.
  2. For our non-Hebrew Bar Yisrael track, you will do meaningful projects instead of Hebrew.

III. Third: Choose a destination for the ceremony and the Rabbi will meet you there for a ceremony in front of your family and friends, on the date and at the venue of your choosing, in the destination of your dreams.

Non-Binary? Transgender? Queer? You are welcome here.

  • All of our classes and programs welcome all genders and non-gendered B” Mitzvah students.
  • Most of our staff have non-binary, trans, or queer people in our families. We accept you.
  • You may have to correct our pronoun usage sometimes, but please know, we are learning and ready to stand with you.

Our Programs

Online Bar and Bat Mitzvah Class

  • 8 Monthly group lessons with Rabbi Shavit Lonstein and students from all over the country
  • Start any time. Rolling admission
  • Experiential lessons including challah baking and Hanukkah candle making
  • 3 private meetings with the Rabbi
  • Hebrew tutoring online or in-person (not included in the fee)
  • Non-Hebrew option is available
  • Add a private ceremony  Ceremony in Boulder CO,  your hometown, Israel, or Destination Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. Includes two meetings with the Rabbi.
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Mitzvah Class for Bar and Bat Mitzvah or Yisrael Students, Boulder, Colorado

Note: this is not being offered in 2024-2025

  • Monthly adventures with Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein with a focus on community service
  • Some outdoor elements but less intense than Adventure Class
  • Parents included on some adventures
  • Hebrew tutoring online or in-person (not included in the fee)
  • Non-Hebrew option available
  • Add a ceremony in Colorado, Israel, or the place of your choosing
  • March-January (attend 9 of 12 adventures)
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Bar and Bat Yisrael, a less intensive coming-of-age program without Hebrew

  • Learn 7 prayers from transliteration and recordings
  • Independent Learning Project replaces Torah portion
  • Attend either the Online Class or Bespoke lessons
  • There is currently no in-person class option for B’nai Yisrael studies
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Adventure Bar and Bat Mitzvah Class, Boulder Colorado

  • 15 adventures with Rabbi Korngold including a peak climb, snowshoeing, and a cooking competition
  • Parents included on some adventures
  • Hebrew tutoring online or in-person (not included in the fee)
  • 5 private meetings with Rabbi Korngold
  • Add a ceremony in Colorado, Israel, or the place of your choosing
    (10 months, August – May)
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Bespoke Custom Bar Mitzvah Training  – Online or in Person

  • 18 lessons with Educator Rebecca Shavit-Lonstein
  • Individual or gather a small group of your siblings or friends
  • Choose from 27 lessons. They will be adjusted to your learning style and prior knowledge.
  • Add Hebrew or pursue our non-Hebrew option, Bar Yisrael
  • Engaging projects including a Shabbat Project and Community Service (Tikkun Olam) are available.
  • Start any time. rolling admission
  • Add a ceremony in the location of your choosing
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Israel Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah Ceremony

  • Study in any of our classes (Online, Adventure, Mitzvah, or Bespoke)
  • Online or in-person Hebrew tutoring
  • Non-Hebrew option available
  • Unforgettable, unique Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony in Israel. Locations include the Robinson Arch at the Western Wall, the Ancient Synagogue in Ein Gedi, and beautiful wilderness locations.
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Ceremony

Who will be there? The congregation will be composed of whomever you invite. Perhaps just the four immediate members of your family or maybe you will invite many guests. But the important point is that the community is yours! This will not be a faux community of people you don’t know. Rather, it will be an unique and profound relationship strengthening experience for your specially selected group.

Where will it be? We encourage you to select an appropriate venue that will enhance the spirituality of the day. Your family and friends can come to us in or one of our rabbis will fly to the destination of your choice.

We’ve done ceremonies on the beach in Hawaii, beaches, horseback riding near Yellowstone, on a farm in Switzerland, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and in backyards, hotels, and local park pavillions.

What Families Say About An Adventure Rabbi Bar Mitzvah:

We cannot thank you enough for Saturday. We loved the tone you set with the service and how warm and welcoming everything was for Will’s Bar Mitzvah. We received so many compliments about you and everyone said how much they appreciated being included in the service. Everyone felt like an active participant in this right of passage for Will. You made that happen for us, and for that we are very grateful.- Ian and Lynn Belmont, MA

Compare our Programs

  • $3,600 for 8 classes and 3 meetings with the Rabbi
  • $500 discount if the student and one adult are members
  • Add a ceremony, starting at $3,600 Extra fees for locations outside of Boulder CO
  • Add weekly Hebrew lessons for 12-18 months
  • Or opt for our non-Hebrew option, Bar Yisrael
  • Choose your ceremony location
  • No prior knowledge needed
  • Not offered in 2024
  • Great for Bar and Bat Yisrael or Mitzvah students who live in Colorado
  • Great for Bar and Bat Yisrael or Mitzvah students who thrive in social settings and working together as a team
  • Great for Bar and Bat Yisrael or Mitzvah students who are ready to give back to a community
  • Perfect for students who wish to start in January or in 6th, 7th or 8th grade
  • Great for Bar and Bat Yisrael or Mitzvah students who like doing some outdoor activities but prefer less intensive activity than what is expected  in the Adventure Class
  • $4,000 for 15 expeditions and 3 meetings with the Rabbi
  • $500 discount if the student and one adult are members
  • Add a ceremony, starting at $3,600 Extra fees for locations outside of Boulder CO
  • Add weekly Hebrew lessons for 12-18 months
  • Ceremonies are $3,600. Extra fees for locations outside of Boulder CO
  • Choose your ceremony location
  • No prior knowledge needed
  • $4,000 for 18 lessons
  • Ceremonies start at $3,600. Extra fees for locations outside of Boulder CO
  • Study online or in-person in Longmont CO
  • Choose from 18 lessons, customized for you
  • Choose your ceremony location
  • No prior knowledge needed
  • Add Hebrew or pursue our non-Hebrew option, Bar Yisrael
  • Available for Online B’nai Mitzvah Class, Mitzvah B’nai Mitzvah Class, and Bespoke students. Not available for Adventure Class students
  • Learn seven basic prayers from transliteration and recordings
  • No Torah portion
  • Engage in our Shabbat Project and Tikkun Olan (Community Service)
  • 10-hour Independent Learning Project on a topic of your choosing replaces the Torah portion

Are you looking for a bar mitzvah tutor online or a bat mitzvah tutor online? Or perhaps you are keying in “bar mitzvah tutor near me”  or “bat mitzvah tutor near me” because you are unsure if bar mitzvah tutoring or bat mitzvah tutoring can work online.  Perhaps you are wondering what bar mitzvah lessons cost or how a quick bar mitzvah work. Or if there is a bar mitzvah season. Or if you can have a bar mitzvah on a Sunday. Or maybe you just want bar mittzvah 101.

We hope you will find some answers here on our site.

  • What is the difference between a b’nai mitzvah, b’not mitzvah, bar mitzvah, and bat mitzvah? How about bar mitsvah or bat mitsvah?  The difference is that bar mitzvah indicates a boy and bat mitzvah indicates a girl. B’nai Mitzvah is plural male or mixed gender. B’not mitzvah is plural female.  We often use B” Mitzvah to be inclusive of all genders. As for bar mitsvah or bat mitsvah, since the original words are Hebrew when the letter are changed to English letters, some epople use s instead of z. Its really the smae thing.
  • Would a non-binary person be a bar mitzvah or a bat mitzvah? We leave it up to them. Often we say B” Mitzvah to be inclusive of all genders.
  • What should I look for in a bar mitzvah tutor or bat mitzvah tutor? Chemistry! Your child needs to like the bar mitzvah tutor and be willing to work hard for them. Look for a bar or bat mitzvah tutor who is a professional. You want a bar mitzvah tutor with many years of experience and the skills to teach a variety of learning styles. You also want a bat or bar mitzvah tutor who will make lessons fun .  And, you need to find a bat or bar mitzvah tutor that is professional meaning they show up on time, don’t cancel frequently, have good tech skills if they teach online, and are a good role model for your child.
  • Is there a bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah season?  We teach students all over the world so this is an interesting answer. Here in Colorado, most of our students want their ceremonies between May and October because they like to have them outdoors. But our students from other parts of the US and our international students, generally plan their ceremonies to coincide with their birthdays, so any time of the year.
  • Should a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah coincide with the birthday? Not necessarily. Our in-person classes only start and end at a set time of the year, and bar mitzvah students have to complete these b’nai mitzvah lessons before they can have their ceremony, (They work with a bar mitzvah tutor to learn Hebrew at the same time as taking the class. ) Once the class ends, most of the students want to have their ceremonies, even if their birthdays are at another time of the year. In contrast, students in our online bar mitzvah class can start whenever they want. We have kids joining the class all year, So, they are more able to plan their ceremonies to coincide with their 13th birthday.
  • Can I do a quick bar mitzvah? The fastest program we offer is our Bar Yisrael. It can be done in just 18 lessons with an online Bar Mitzvah Tutor.
  • Can I do a Bar Mitzvah on Sunday?  Torah is read on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Because of this tradition, those are the days on which we do bar mitzvah ceremonies and bat mitzvah ceremonies. However, a Bar Yisrael, the non-Hebrew bar mitzvah alternative, can be done on Sunday or any day of the week.
  • Who will help my child write their Bat Mitzvah or Bar Mitzvah speech? In our program, the rabbi who is officiating at the ceremony helps the bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah candidates with their speeches. However, in some cases, you might like your Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah tutor to help.
  • What is the best way to learn Hebrew for a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah? A great bar mitzvah tutor and practice, practice, practice!  Our students meet with their bar mitzvah tutor for an hour a week. The same tutor will be with them for the entire 12-18 months of weekly lessons. If the student practices every day, they may be able to learn everything in as short as 8 months. But most kids will learn from their bar mitzvah tutor for about a year, That leaves time to skip for vacation, camp, recitals, and so on.
  • What are the advantages of digital or online learning for Bar Mitzvah training? There are many! For one, you don’t have to drive anywhere. Also, you can continue lessons even if you are changing locations. Online Bar Mitzvah lessons \ mean that the bar mitzvah tutor can easily employ tech teaching tools. It also is very liberating for parents who don’t have to drive the bar mitzvah candidate to the bat mitzvah tutor’s office.
  • How do I pick a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah program?  Similarly to picking a bar mitzvah tutor, chemistry is important. Make sure you click with the rabbi! Additionally, look for a program that has been around for a while. We have been doing this work since 2001 and as such are one of the first programs to offer online bar mitzvah training and destination bar mitzvahs. We have four rabbis on our staff so if for some reason you don’t click with one rabbi or they are not available on the date you want, we can bring in another bar mitzvah rabbi.