The Adventure Rabbi Individual Study or Destination Bar and Bat Mitzvah Program is a Great Alternative for:

• Bar and Bat Mitzvah students who live anywhere
  Distance learning via Skype is available
• Bar and Bat Mitzvah students who are too busy for set class times
• Bar and Bat Mitzvah students with any level (even none or years and years) of Jewish background
• Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies in Israel
• Students who love the outdoors or students who would rather be indoors
  

For Fee Schedule or if you are ready to register click here>>

How the program works:
Our program is coordinated by our Distance Leaning Specialist, Rabbi Evon Yakar. You will have individual monthly meetings with Rabbi Evon Yakar (based in South Lake Tahoe, California) and weekly meetings with a Hebrew tutor (arranged separately). You will learn Hebrew prayers, chant Torah, do a Social Action project, complete a Shabbat project, write a D'var Torah and learn why all this is meaningful. Then you will have a ceremony in front of your family and friends on the date and at the venue of your choosing.

Sound good? Here are the details:

1. Monthly Meetings with the Rabbi:
How often do we meet and where? Each month our Bar or Bat Mitzvah students meet individually with our Bar and Bat Mitzvah Distance Leaning Specialist, Rabbi Evon Yakar. The meetings can either be by Skype or by phone. (Just imagine - no more carpooling! The student just sits down in front of the computer!)

What will we talk about?
During these individual sessions with the Rabbi, we will discuss the meaning behind Bat and Bat Mitzvah and look at big life questions such as, "What is God and what does God have to do with me?" and, "What can Judaism teach me about being a teenager?" and, "Why am I doing all this?"

We will also talk about your Shabbat and Social Action (Tikkun Olam) Projects, (explained below), study the English of your Torah portion and create the speeches you will give at the ceremony.

Parent Involvement:
We encourage parents to participate in these meetings for two reasons. First, in some cases students have an easier time talking to a rabbi they don't know if their parents are with them. (For some students this is absolutely not the case so we meet with them alone!) Secondly, our hope is that after the meetings ends, your family will continue to explore the topics that have been raised, thus making this a family experience.

If it does not work well for the for parent to be on the call or at the meeting, we do recommend that you plan on ten minutes at the end of each call or meeting to check in with the Rabbi so you will feel part of the process.

About Rabbi Evon Yakar:
Rabbi Evon comes to us via Skype from South Lake Tahoe, California. He specializes in youth education and is an expert at making Judaism relevant and meaningful to 12 and 13 year olds.

He is passionate about sharing Judaism with his students and loves the opportunity to personalize the program according to the interests of each of his students.

Rabbi Evon recently built a new road bike and can often be found riding the beautiful roads and trails near his home in South Lake Tahoe California. Rabbi Evon works part-time for the Adventure Rabbi Program and part time as the Rabbi at Temple Bat Yam. Rabbi Evon also loves skiing, hiking, and playing ice hockey. In his free time you can find him hiking with his wife Rachel and their dog Sasha.

2. Hebrew:
What Hebrew prayers will the Bar or Bat Mitzvah student learn?
Our emphasis is on prayers we think every Jew should know for general Jewish living. Among other prayers such as Barchu, Shema and V'ahavtah, you will learn the full Friday night Kiddush, Kaddish (seldom taught to Bar and Bat Mitzvah kids but probably the most widely needed Jewish prayer). Students should be prepared for a serious year of Hebrew study and able to commit time to this aspect of the program. Most students meet with their tutor once a week for 10 months. View videos of the prayers here>>

How about Torah?
Most of our students chant or read 6 verses of Torah. But students with severe learning limitations have read as little as three. We ask for equal effort, not equal product, so some read more and others less. You will be reading from our Backpacking Torah.

What are the Hebrew requirements to get into the program?
Many of our students have no Hebrew background while others have been attending Jewish Day School for years. Either way, because this is an individual program, we can make it work and we will create a program that is appropriately challenging.

How will the Bar or Bat Mitzvah student learn their Hebrew?
Each student works with a private Hebrew tutor. Fees for this are not including in the basic program fee. Most students meet with their tutor once a week for 10 months. Occasionally students require 2 times a week, and others only occasional meetings. In the Boulder area, fees are generally $30-$45 an hour. Outside of Boulder they are typically $50 -$85 an hour.

How do we find a tutor?
If you would prefer not to leave the comfort of your keyboard, we can recommend a great tutor who will teach your student via Skype. We also have access to a network of local tutors in Boulder. Hillels, JCCs, and synagogues are a great sources for tutors. We've had great success working with Janine Starr>>

3. Social Action (Tikkun Olam) Project:
Why does Social Action have to do with Bar or Bat Mitzvah?
Becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah means becoming a more responsible member of the Jewish community. One of the values of our Jewish community is that as Jews, we have a mandate to help make the world a better place. Therefore, as you take on your new role in our community you will demonstrate your concern and connection through a social action (tikkun olam) project.

How many hours of work should I plan on?
You will complete 10 hours of work and then write a speech explaining what you did, why you chose it and what you got out of it.

What kinds of project do we do?
We prefer projects that allow Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to interact with other people, animals or nature and enable students to build relationships. We prefer that you stay always from fund raisers.

Examples of Past Projects:

• Trail work (Durango, CO)
• Graffiti Removal (New York City)
• Building Homes (New Orleans)
• Organizing a Neighborhood Park Clean-up (Denver, CO)
• Helping Prepare Meals for Koko the Signing Gorilla (California)

4. Shabbat Projects:
A note from Rabbi Korngold, the Adventure Rabbi:
My not so secret agenda is to introduce the Bar and Bat Mitzvah students and their families to Shabbat as meaningful part of life. Our lives are so frenetic! One of the greatest gifts Judaism has given us is the mandate to take a day off every week. I hope that when the kids are in college and are overwhelmed with life, they will look back at this year and think, "Oh Shabbat. Maybe that can help." To that end, my goal is to introduce them to a Shabbat practice that fits into their lifestyle and can enhance their lives.

How does it work?
Each month for ten months you will pick some type of Shabbat observance to try out. Up to five times can be traditional activities like lighting candles, baking challah or going to synagogue. But the other five must be non-traditional activities like going skiing with your family but not complaining, eating ice cream for breakfast, or making dinner for you family. You will journal what you did and how it worked for you. You will also discuss with the Rabbi how these Shabbat experiences were for you and your family.

5. The Ceremony:

When you are planning your ceremony, please review this check-list>>

Who officiates at the ceremony?
Rabbi Evon Yakar generally officiates at the ceremonies, although you may request to work with Rabbi Jamie Korngold instead. Her schedule is more challenging. If you would like a ceremony in Israel, Rabbi Michael Schwartz will officiate. read more>>

How will we plan it?
A month or two before the ceremony you will have two meetings with the officiating rabbi to plan and rehearse the ceremony.

Do we get to personalize the ceremony?
Yes! We can include as many of your guests as you would like. You can even write your own prayerbook, although most families opt to use our copies of Gates of Prayer or the Adventure Rabbi nature-based prayerbook.

Where are the ceremonies?
You can pick your own venue, although we appreciate low key venues that take the emphasis away from conscious consumption rather than fancy hotels.

Small ceremonies often take place as part of a morning hike, while larger ceremonies are generally held in locations where everyone can sit in chairs in order to minimize the impact of large groups on the wilderness.

If your ceremony is going to be in South Lake Tahoe, it is often possible to rent the synagogue of Temple Bat Yam, which is a lovely venue.

In Boulder, our favorite outdoor location is the Jaycee or Wood Shelter on Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder and a fabulous indoor venue is the Community House in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado.

Does it have to be outside? As the Adventure Rabbi Program, we love hiking or skiing Bar or Bat Mitzvahs but we realize not every family can do that.
View Outdoor Bar Mitzvah One Minute Video >>

Or, view photos from a recent Skiing Bat Mitzvah at Copper Mountain >>

Can the Torah go outside? Because we use a paper Torah rather than a kosher parchment Torah (which might be damaged by the elements) our ceremonies can take place in any location, as accessible or adventurous as your family chooses.

What about having the Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony in locations other than Lake Tahoe, California?
Rabbi Evon is happy to officiate at ceremonies outside of South Lake Tahoe. Obviously it costs a bit more, because it takes more of the Rabbi's time. For prices>>

Other Commonly Asked Questions:
We have family members who can't hike, but we know a Bar or Bat Mitzvah that includes hiking with the Adventure Rabbi is an amazing and unique experience. Is there any way we can incorporate a little hiking?
We suggest adding a hiking Friday night service that includes a hike. That way even if your Saturday service can't be on the trail because not everyone is physically capable of hiking, at least a subset of the group can enjoy that amazing experience on Friday night. We have found that the cohesive feeling created in the smaller group rapidly spreads to the entire larger group.

Can we also add a short hiking piece on Saturday?
Some locations lend themselves easily to a hike preceding the main service. For example, if you have the service at Temple Bat Yam, on the summit of Flagstaff Mountain (Boulder, CO) or Chautauqua Community House (Boulder, CO) we can add a little hiking at beginning of the service that is very accessible. Those who can't hike can drive to the site and they will not miss too much.

How will we get to know Rabbi Korngold if we are studying with Rabbi Evon Yakar?
We encourage your family to participate in Adventure Rabbi events throughout the year so that you can build a relationship with Rabbi Korngold and our larger community. You will meet an amazing group of people, eager to find a meaningful way to experience their Judaism.

In order to facilitate this we will give your Bar or Bat Mitzvah student a free membership to the Adventure Rabbi Program, a $750 value.

We also recommend reading Rabbi Korngold's books to get a sense of who she is and how she works.

After reading through this information, if you feel an Adventure Rabbi Bar or Bat Mitzvah will be a good fit for your family, please either:

• Question about fees? Click here and scroll down>>
• Ready to register and sign click here>>
• Call Rabbi Jamie Korngold at 303.417.6200
• Click here to have us contact you now.

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