Mitzvahs
Lin Mauel Miranda, Tiffany Haddish and Paul Rudd - Your Bar Mitzvah Entertainers
At the next Bar Mitzvah you attend take a good look at the DJ or dances and you may see a future star! Before Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda was a Bar Mitzvah dancer. As he told the New York Times, “I was literally one of those guys who shows up in a black satin shirt and tries to get kids and old people to dance.” Tiffany Haddish, who celebrated her own Bat Mitzvah in 2019 worked the Bar Mitzvah circuit as a “energy producer.” As she explained to Jimmy Fallon, “I produced energy. So I might tell jokes, I might emcee, choreograph routines, just get the party going.” During acting school, Paul Rudd performed as a Bar Mitzvah DJ in Kansas spinning the hits, “U Can’t Touch This” and “What I Like About You.” So look around, that entertainer may be the next big thing!
A Bar Mitzvah at 113
Yisrael Kristal, a Holocaust survivor celebrated his Bar Mitzvah 100 years after he turned 13. The ceremony took place in 2016 when he also had the title of being the world’s oldest living man. In 1903, Kristal was born in Poland (then part of the Russain Empire) into an orthodox family and began his studies at an early age. He attended “cheder” at the age of 3, studied the bible at the age of 5 and the Mishna at 6. His mother died when he was 10 years old and his father was drafted and taken prisoner in World War 1. At 20, Yisrael moved to Lodz and became a candy maker. He got married and had 2 children who died in the ghetto during World War 2. Yisrael and his wife were sent to Auschwitz, where she perished. Kristal persevered, going back to Lodz, and rebuilt his candy factory. He remarried and had a son. In 1950 the family emigrated to Haifa, and had another child. Yisrael who wrapped himself in tefilin every day for a century (except during the wars) was asked if there was a formula to his longevity, he replied: “Everyone has his own luck, it is from heaven. There are no secrets.” Kristal passed away in 2017.
Bark Mitzvah
In Beverly Hill in 1958, Windy (a black cocker spaniel whose full name was Duke of Windsor) became the first documented bark mitzvah. At the time, Max and Janet Salter threw their dog a “Cockertail” party and Janet coined the phrase a “bark mitzvah” on the invitation. The party was attended by more than 100 guests bringing gifts of biscuits and fountain pens. And the event was emceed by none other than host Monty Hall. The Salters continued the tradition and hosted several other bark mitzvahs. While not all Rabbis support the celebration, it has grown in popularity. Bark Mitzvahs have been featured in People magazine, on the Joan Rivers Show and is now a yearly event in a number of temples. Many do not know that Judaism does have a holiday for domesticated animals – Rosh Hashanah la’Behemot which falls on Elul 1 / Friday August 26, 2022. So this August say a prayer for your dog and if he is 13 months or 13 years feel free to mark your pet’s special day.
The Bar Mitzvah Party Song!
Fill up my cup,
Mazel Tov (L’Chaim)
I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be
a good night
That tonight’s gonna be a good night
That tonight’s gonna be a good,
good night
Released in May of 2009 and played in every B’nai Mitzvah since then, the Black Eyed Peas own the most played mitzvah hit. The dance song produced by DJ David Guetta was the second single from the Black Eyed Peas’ fifth album, The E.N.D. While there doesn’t seem to be any jewish connections with the artists, the song’s use of the phrase “Mazel Tov” has guaranteed it to be played at your next Jewish party
Annual Orphanage Mitzvah Event
Every year in Jerusalem, Colel Chabad sponsors a mass Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony for children who have lost a mother or father. The event held on the birthday of Lubavitcher Rebbe is complete with major religious and civic leaders in attendance coupled with a celebratory banquet including live music and dancing. The participants are given gifts including Tefilin, and certificates for new clothing. This year the event included children who were recently relocated from an orphanage in Ukraine.