Question 1

HOW MANY LESSONS DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR OUR FAMILY?

Accepted Answer

We recommend a minimum of 24 lessons total, and a maximum of 48  lessons. In order to fully be prepared for your ceremony, we find 24 lessons to be the least amount to have time to learn the entire Torah portion and all of the prayers. If you want your child to learn Hebrew we recommend having at least 3 months straight of Hebrew.  Your family can choose which package works best for you and the number of lessons,  and it is possible to meet twice, three times or four times a month. As well, your family can customize a package if you are looking for a different number of lessons.

Question 2

WHAT IF MY CHILD DOESN'T KNOW HEBREW?

Accepted Answer

We are happy to include Hebrew lessons with our packages, to teach your child Hebrew. If you would like your child to learn Hebrew to read their Torah portion in Hebrew then we recommend getting our more advanced packages with 36 or 48 lessons. Many of our students do not know Hebrew and choose not to learn the language and so we work in transliteration. We provide transliterations of all of the prayers and Torah portion so working in English is easy.

Question 3

CAN MY CHILD DO A GROUP LESSON WITH A FRIEND OF THEIRS ?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We offer group lessons at a discounted rate, and many parents choose this option as the students enjoy learning in a group setting and it is also a more economical method for families on a budget.

Question 4

HOW DO YOU CHARGE FOR YOUR TEACHING SERVICES?

Accepted Answer

Parents choose a package that works in their budget, and then the entire package is divided into monthly payments, paid on the 1st or the 15th of the month. Payments can be made via Zelle, Paypal, or Venmo.  Alternatively if parents prefer larger installments they can pay in 2 or 4 installments.

Question 5

WHAT ARE THE LEAD MENTOR'S TEACHING QUALIFICATIONS?

Accepted Answer

Miriam, our lead Mentor, holds a Masters Degree, as well as a California Multi-Subject Teaching Credential. She holds a Teaching Certificate from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. She is a native Hebrew speaker and also attended 3 years of intensive Hebrew language study in Jerusalem, Israel. She has been a Jewish Educator for 15 years.

Question 6

DO YOU WORK WITH INTERFAITH FAMILIES?

Accepted Answer

We work with both interfaith families, as well as LGBTQ families, and are supportive of any family constellation and as well as varying degrees of religious practice in the home.

Question 7

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR TUTORING COST?

Accepted Answer

You choose one of our pre-made packages or we can make you a custom made mentoring packages for your family. Please email Miriam directly at miriam33@gmail.com, and she will email you a PDF of all of our rates and packages.

Question 8

MY CHILD HAS VERY LITTLE EXPOSURE TO JUDAISM AND NEVER WENT TO HEBREW SCHOOL. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO HAVE A BAT OR BAR MITZVAH?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Anyone can have a Bar Mitzvah who identifies as a Jewish person. In fact, a Bat or Bar Mitzvah can take place at any age, and even some people have them as adults. We have worked with many families who had no exposure to Hebrew and very little exposure to Judaism and we were able to tailor their Bat or Bar Mitzvah to fit their families' desire. This might look like having a service predominantly in English and doing some alternative readings or prayers in place of some of the typical Hebrew.

Question 9

WHAT JEWISH DENOMINATIONS HAVE YOU WORKED WITH?

Accepted Answer

We have primarily worked with families that are not affiliated with a movement. As well, we have worked with Reform, Renewal, and Conservative families. As well, we also work with families that have had little Jewish educational experience.

Question 10

HOW MUCH TIME DOES MY CHILD NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THEIR BAT OR BAR MITZVAH?

Accepted Answer

We will do our initial family meeting one year prior to the date of their ceremony, and the tutoring begins  9 months or 12 months prior to the ceremony depending on how many lessons your child will have. If your child is wanting to learn Hebrew, we recommend doing 6 months to 1 year of Hebrew prior to beginning the Bnai Mitzvah studies.

Question 11

MY FAMILY IS ONLY LOOKING FOR AN OFFICIANT FOR OUR CEREMONY OR ONLY LOOKING FOR TUTORING. ARE YOU AVAILABLE FOR THAT?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we have done ceremonies where we only officiate the ceremony and do not tutor the child, and we also have only tutored the child and someone else officates the ceremony. We are flexible to work with your family's needs.

Bay Area B'nai Mitzvah

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR SERVICES