BAR/BAT MITZVAH GENERAL INFORMATION

Now that you have received a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date, you begin an exciting journey with anticipation and, of course, many questions. Recognizing that each child and family is unique, the following information is designed to provide you with a few of our current guidelines and procedures. A Bnai Mitzvah service in our main Sanctuary is shared by up to 3 students. A service in the Gellis-Green Chapel is assigned to one family. Students with special needs are given priority in the Gellis-Green Chapel and the schedule is set according to availability. Requests regarding students with special needs or concerns are handled on an individual basis. Your child and family will participate in our congregational Friday night service during your Bar/Bat Mitzvah weekend. The times of service are 6:00 PM or 7:30 PM, depending on the week of the month. This information will be included in a letter that will be sent to you several months prior to your childs celebration when lesson dates with the clergy are assigned. Our congregation provides an Oneg Shabbat prior to the 6:00 PM Friday evening service or following the 7:30 PM service. There is no communal kiddush after services on Saturday mornings. Starting in July preceding your childs 5th grade year, you will be billed for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah plan. The tuition charge for your childs Bar/Bat Mitzvah year will be determined later in the spring of this year. This plan includes training, a video of the service, and contributions to the Oneg Shabbat and Bima flower funds.

USE OF TEMPLE FACILITIES FOR BAR/BAT MITZVAH CELEBRATIONS

We are delighted that an increasing number of families are choosing to utilize our Temple Ballroom and Mansion for their celebrations. Please be aware that requests for facilities on the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Information Form are only one of a number of factors we must consider when scheduling Bnai Mitzvah dates. Requests on the information form are used for planning purposes only and are not a guarantee of the availability of the facility. Historically, there have been a few occasions on which several families wish to rent the same space. In order to ensure the most equitable availability of our facilities, the following policy sets forth the method in which formal requests for use of the facilities on specific dates will be honored. If you wish to secure the use of Temple space for your celebration, you must contact Karen Patton at 973-763-4116 ext 224. We suggest you do this as quickly as possible. However, all requests for specific facilities will be considered preliminary until the end of fourteen days after the date notification letters were posted. Should more than one family request use of the same space on the same day and time, we will place names in a hat after April 15, 2013, to determine who has first claim on the facility. We will notify you at that time if there has been more than one request for the space you sought on your date and time, and discuss any other available options with you if your name has not been chosen. After this time, all other requests for use of the facilities will be on a first come, first service basis. Everyone who has a space reserved for their reception at Temple will receive a confirmation letter from the Temple office. Once that letter has been sent, each family will have 14 days in which to send a 50% deposit and signed contract back to Temple. This deposit is non-refundable 2 months from the date the contract is signed. If the 50% deposit and signed contract is not received within 10 days after the facilities confirmation letter has been received, the space will be released and available for other use. In fairness to other Bnai Mitzvah families and other Temple members, we ask that, if your needs to change, you notify us as soon as possible.