B Mitzvah

The experience of becoming B Mitzvah at SIJCC includes:

Number one in black font with a distressed style.

One-on-one mentorship with a skilled mentor who guides the student through their learning goals and helps them prepare for a culminating experience. 

A black silhouette of the number 2 on a white background.

A culminating ritual in which the student demonstrates their learning and readiness to enter this next phase of communal life.

A large black number three on a white background.

Family meetings led by SIJCC to navigate and prepare for the B Mitzvah journey. 

At SIJCC

Jewish learning on a deeper level is a fundamental component of this experience.

There is rich wisdom within Jewish tradition. Studying and grappling with that wisdom is crucial for a young Jew when they come of age. We come from a tradition of questioning and it is important for young people to have a safe space to question their tradition and to wrestle with how that it is integrated in their lives. The ceremony should represent the capstone of a rigorous process of learning and discovery, so that the young person emerges from their learning and discovery process different than how they started.

People celebrating outdoors, lifting a young woman in a chair in the air, with joyful expressions, trees, and a canopy overhead.

It is important to mark major life transitions.

There is deep value in marking young peoples’ coming-of-age. Our young people are coming to terms with themselves, accelerating the process of self-discovery, and grappling with how they interact with the world around them.

Coming-of-age experiences should feel appropriate for the person having them.

Marking coming-of-age can look different for different people. Individuals who are coming-of-age should have agency in their coming-of-age experience. One size does not fit all.

A close-up of a gray suit jacket with a colorful, illuminated cigarette-shaped Bluetooth device in the pocket, attached to a gold chain.

Life does not happen alone in a vacuum, it happens with community.

Coming-of-age is not something that one can do alone—a community of loving, connected, present people welcome the young person into community. While it is the individual becoming a bat/bar mitzvah, it is a moment in time that involves the whole family and their relationship and commitment to Judaism. The connection between the young person and a trusted, knowledgeable mentor can catalyze deep self-discovery that benefits the young person and the broader community.

SIJCC Membership required for this program.

B Mitzvah Mentors

A woman with short dark hair smiling and holding her hands over her chest. She is dressed in white with gold and blue accents, and there is a lit candle in the foreground.

  • Rabbi Ye’ela Rosenfeld is a native Israeli who has lived in Los Angeles since 2006. She currently serves as Rabbi and Cultural Director at Der Nister - Downtown Los Angeles Jewish Center and officiates services and life cycle events for unaffiliated Jewish families all across Greater Los Angeles. She is also serving as Temple Beth Israel of Highland Park’s Director of Education and Community Engagement.

    Other than serving as a Rabbi, Rosenfeld is also a film and theater writer and director who is a Graduate of the MFA film directing program of the American Film Institute conservatory in Hollywood. She has directed films and theater in Israel, the Czech Republic and the U.S. Her films screened in festivals worldwide and won numerous awards. For the theater, she has directed the works of Vaclav Havel, Friedrich Durenmatt, Jean Paul Sartre and Howard Zinn. Rabbi Rosenfeld lives in Eagle Rock with her husband David and her children Ori and Libi. She is a passionate teacher and writer, and an unapologetic bookworm.

A woman with short, curly dark hair smiling, wearing a yellow sweater against a light purple background.

  • Marnina Schon Wirtschafter (she/they) loves co-creating joyful, accessible, and meaningful ritual experiences, from 30+ b'nei mitzvah services, to the SIJCC Days of Awesome. Rooted in a pluralistic Jewish upbringing in Berkeley, Marnina studied at UCLA, organized with Bend the Arc, and explored Yiddishkayt in Germany and Eastern Europe. As a performer, Marnina starred in the Sundance dramedy series Chanshi, sang and fiddled in the musical Once, recently appeared on Netflix’s Unstable, and played violin on Dropout with the Play It By Ear band!

A man with glasses and a beard wearing a black cap that says 'CULTURE' and a tie-dye hoodie, sitting at an outdoor restaurant, holding a pink cocktail in a stemmed glass with a straw, surrounded by other diners under a shaded canopy.

  • David Schwartzbaum is the best B-Mitzvah tutor who has ever lived. He has taught over 1000 students, and has officiated over 100 B Mitzvah celebrations. From intimate services in peoples homes, to massive events on the beaches of Hawaii, David has run services from just about anywhere. David enjoys crafting unique services with families where together they can weave the beautiful ancient traditions of our history with modern customs to ensure a celebratory and meaningful experience for all. When not absolutely cooking it on the B-Mitzvah circuit, David is a professional comedic actor where he is also the funniest man who has ever lived. David is an ardent Miami Heat fan (heat in five!), an amateur kickboxer, and has proudly attended the last 12 WrestleManias!