Bat Mitzvah Form

At Chabad of Southlake, our primary goal is preparing our children to live Jewish lives with pride, with knowledge, and enthusiasm. When your child reaches the age of Bat Mitzvah, we share with your family the privilege and responsibility of welcoming her into the adult Jewish community. Together, we hope to instill the meaning and significance of the occasion, to celebrate appropriately, and to honor your child's place among the Jewish people. We have prepared the following guidelines to assist you in planning for this joyous occasion.

In order to hold your child's ceremony and/or celebration at Chabad, the following requirements must be met:

Your child must be born to a Jewish mother or converted under Orthodox auspices. If the mother or maternal grandmother was converted to Judaism, please set up an appointment with the Rabbi to determine if those conversions met with the Chabad standards for conversion.

If the prospective Bat Mitzvah girl, her mother or maternal grandmother are adopted, we will need documentation that shows that the birth mother was Jewish or that a proper conversion was performed.

According to Jewish Law, religious identity is determined solely by the mother and an intermarried family where the father is not Jewish has no effect on the religious identity of the child.

Bat Mitzvah is the day on which a child becomes responsible for Mitzvot and accountable for both positive and negative behaviors under Jewish law. According to the Talmud, this takes place at age 12. This happens automatically on their Jewish birth date, regardless of the way the day is marked. The ceremony and celebration should take place as close to the Jewish birthday as possible. As a child grows, the Jewish and secular birthdays may move weeks apart, we therefore need to make sure that your preferred date is indeed after your child's 12th Jewish birthday.

We recommend scheduling Bat Mitzvahs at least 18 months prior to your child's 12th birthday. To choose a date, set up an initial meeting with the Rishi to determine your child's Jewish birthday. Your child's Bat Mitzvah must be in the year following that date, as close as possible to the date but not before it.

Event Options

1. Weekday Evening & Sundays: Can host a reception any day of the week and choose a ceremony type from the list below. 
2. Friday Night Candle Lighting Service: In a Friday evening service, the Bat Mitzvah girl leads the women and girls in the candle lighting and blessing. In the winter the candle lighting will be at the very beginning of the ceremony and in the summer, the candle lighting will be after the Bat Mitzvah ceremony but  before the Shabbat evening service. Please remember that videos and cameras are only allowed until the Candle lighting service. The Bat Mitzvah ceremony is followed by the Friday Night service for all guests to attend, conducted by the Rabbi. After the service, Kiddush will be made and the family of the Bat MItzvah girl can then host either a dinner or dessert reception.
3. Saturday Evening Havdalah Service (winter months)
The service can begin anytime from 45 minutes after Shabbat ends. The ceremony will include
the Havdalah service and then any of the ceremony types listed below

The party must be one at which the food that is brought in meets our Kashrut standards. Chabad approves certain caterers, meats, and bakeries. Please speak to the Rabbi or Rishi for ideas and suggestions in this regard.

The Bat Mitzvah girl will begin preparation classes at the determined time prior to her Bat Mitzvah. Classes are private, and are set up directly with the Rishi. Classes are held once a week for 30-45 minutes at a mutually convenient time. In consultation with the Bat Mitzvah boy and her parents a course of learning and preparation will be decided upon.

We do not have a fee structure for Bat Mitzvah preparation, rather we suggest a $1,800 - $2,500 donation in honor of the Bat Mitzvah. NO ONE WILL BE TURNED AWAY DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS.