As we look towards the thirteenth year of a Jewish girl’s life, we start planning her Bat Mitzvah. Therefore, it seemed appropriate, as we looked towards the thirteenth year of our sisterhood’s affiliation with Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), to commemorate that milestone by planning a Bat Mitzvah for our sisterhood! Our Bat Mitzvah ceremony would symbolize not only the work that went into the planning and establishment of our sisterhood, but also our commitment to WRJ over the past thirteen years, and our dedication to continuing to support and empower women worldwide.

We prepared a service that would honor as many of our sisterhood members as possible. Still, we were aware that the most crucial part of our celebratory weekend would be the keynote speaker – and I knew that only one speaker would be the “right” speaker for this event. I was thrilled that Rabbi Marla Feldman happily agreed to join us. During the weekend celebration, Rabbi Feldman discussed a variety of topics on the theme of social justice Women of the Wall, WRJ’s commitment to gender equality throughout the world, the inclusion of women in religious leadership, and reproductive rights – as well as the history of WRJ. Rabbi Feldman’s comments have led to additional discussions that will keep us talking into the future.

The leadup to our Bat Mitzvah – a promotion called “13 Events for 13 Years” – started with our annual Chanukah celebration and culminated with our Bat Mitzvah celebration. These thirteen events were as diverse as the generations and groups in our community. Programming included traditional events, such as a Chanukah party and mishloach manot gifts for Purim, while also finding ways to introduce Judaism and Shabbat to our interfaith community. We also enjoyed book groups and a paint night. But my favorite event was our community tallit-making class.

While preparing for our Bat Mitzvah, we noted that many B’nai Mitzvot are presented with their own tallit. As part of that tradition we felt that we too should have our own tallit, so it could be used for special sisterhood occasions, including Sisterhood Shabbats and Sisterhood Installations. This tallit was handcrafted by our own sisterhood members, with help from women-owned businesses across the country. Our tallit bag was even designed and handcrafted in Israel by a company owned by a woman. This was truly a way in which we felt we were able to support and empower women worldwide while we celebrated our local women and tradition.

Michelle Rosen
B’nai Israel, Southbury, Connecticut

As part of the RAC’s Brit Olam, and made possible through WRJ’s Social Justice Fund, the WRJ-RAC Reproductive Justice Campaign (RJC) will provide the organizing structure for Reform congregations, women’s groups, and individuals to take collective action. With your help, we will mobilize our communities to secure our reproductive rights by training activists to be strategic and effective advocates.