Our Approach & Goals:

At Kavana, we hope that B'nai Mitzvah will serve as a meaningful entry point into an engaged adult Jewish life. Each student and family enjoy a process which allows for personalized goals and ceremonies, resulting in a broad array of B’nai Mitzvah celebrations. We hope that, through engaging in Kavana's B'nai Mitzvah process, all of our students will have the opportunity to:

• Participate in peer and community Jewish experiences (this might include attending Kavana's Middle School Program, participating in Shabbat services, going to Jewish summer camp, etc.).

• Articulate Jewish learning goals, and master significant Jewish content.

• Celebrate this life-cycle milestone with family & friends in a joyous way.

• Experience a sense of accomplishment.

• Develop positive Jewish identity as a young adult.

B’nai Mitzvah Cohort - Activities and Registration

Kavana hosts a handful of content-rich programs designed to bring each year’s cohort of B’nai Mitzvah students and parents into community with one another throughout the year. We also encourage families to invite other members of the cohort and/or the Kavana community to join in their child’s ceremony. 

The B’nai Mitzvah life-cycle fee is $1,200 for Kavana Partner families and $3,600 for the general public. As always at Kavana, if this amount feels prohibitive, please let us know and we will work with you; no one will be turned away from our B’nai Mitzvah cohort due to financial ability. Registration typically opens in the spring for the following year (e.g. in Spring 2025, we will open registration for our 2026 B’nai Mitzvah Cohort).

Families and students who are new to Kavana should attend some community events to better understand the Kavana community at large, assess fit, and meet peers. After doing so, new families and students are welcome to reach out to our Kavana staff to learn more or to schedule a B’nai Mitzvah intake conversation.

B’nai Mitzvah Process Outline

1. Identify Learning Goals in a B’nai Mitzvah Intake Meeting

Who: Kavana staff, parents/guardians, and student together.

When: ~12-18 months in advance of celebration.

How: We recommend that this meeting take place 12-18 months before your child’s 13th birthday or desired celebration date. To schedule an intake meeting, please reach out here.

Learning goals may include: 

• “synagogue skills” (Hebrew, prayer, Torah and/or Haftorah reading)

• study/interpretation (of Torah portion or another Jewish topic such as a holiday or value)

• project-based learning (e.g. a community service/“mitzvah” project, artistic or musical project, family history project, travel-related project)

2. Select Date/Time

Who: Families, in conjunction with Kavana calendar (via Kavana staff). 

When: As early in the process as possible.

How: Families should discuss and confirm dates with Kavana staff before locking down a venue. On Kavana’s end, we think about staff availability, Torah availability, and optimal spacing around holidays. In choosing dates, families often consider their child’s birthdate, desired season, travel availability of friends/family, and venue requirements/availability.

3. Reserve Venue

Who: Parents/families.

When: As early in the process as possible.

How: B’nai Mitzvah families are responsible for reserving, coordinating with, and paying venues directly for rental, as Kavana does not own a building. We have a long list of venues that have been used by previous B’nai Mitzvah families and are happy to make suggestions.

4. Match with a Tutor, and set up regular tutoring meetings.

Who: Kavana staff will help match families with tutors who are best aligned with each student’s learning style, goals, and availability. 

When: Soon after the B’nai Mitzvah Intake Meeting (task #1 above) is completed.

How: Kavana-adjacent tutors provide the regular (typically weekly) support to scaffold learning goals and outcomes. These tutors range in style, approach, and content-knowledge, and have been vetted by our Kavana team to support the diversity of our students. Our rabbis will work behind-the-scenes with tutors to coordinate content, sequencing, and ceremony details. While Kavana staff supports tutor matching, families are responsible for coordinating schedules and payment directly with their student’s tutor.

5. Connect with Kavana staff about mitzvah/service project (optional)

Who: Student and Kavana staff (with family support).

When: Any time in the year leading up to the ceremony. Timeline considerations may include: student availability and/or needs of partner organization, size and scope of the project, goals, etc.

How: Prior to meeting with a Kavana staff member, the student with support from their family will generate a list of passions and interests and/or organizations they are already involved with or like. 

Kavana staff will collaborate with the student on developing a viable and meaningful mitzvah/service project, and work with the student on project management process from inception to delivery. Prior to meeting, students and parents are encouraged to generate ideas. Examples of past service projects include: hosting a musical concert for residents of a local senior living facility; trail building/maintenance at local parks; tzedakah collection or a clothing/equipment-drive, in support of a specific org or group; tutoring at a local elementary school; partnership projects or service at Jewish Family Service of Seattle.

6. Plan Ceremony

Who: Kavana staff, with input from family and tutor.

When: In the months leading up to the ceremony. 

Ceremony plans may include:

• Setting start-time and approx. length of the service.

• Figuring out logistics and ritual items needed (e.g. tallit, Torah transport, kippot, kiddush cup, etc.).

• Reaching out to musician(s), if desired. (Some families privately contract with musicians to add musical leadership/accompaniment to their ceremony. Kavana staff can make recommendations if requested).

• Determination of “honors” / family participation in the ceremony. 

• Siddur decision - families can choose which prayer book to use, or customize a siddur packet for your ceremony (if you go this route, Kavana staff will help create the packet but families are responsible for printing).

7. Schedule Rabbi Meetings (typically 3-4 sessions)

Who: B’nai Mitzvah student + officiating Rabbi.

When: Meetings typically start 3-5 months out from the ceremony.

How: These Rabbi-student meetings focus on Torah study, the writing of D’var Torah/speech, and how to bring the student’s voice into the Jewish identity development that this process represents.

8. Schedule a rehearsal 

Who: Officiating Rabbi, tutor (if available), parents/guardians and student.

When: 1-2 weeks prior to the ceremony.

How: We aim for a full run-through of the ceremony. The goal of this rehearsal is to finalize any last details and to build confidence so that everyone comes in prepared, clear on expectations, and ready to celebrate.

8. Celebrate!

10. Consider next steps as a Jewish adult

Who: Student, families and Kavana staff

When: When the dust has settled and whenever feels feasible in the months following the B’nai Mitzvah.

How: Students and families are encouraged to schedule a meeting with the Kavana staff to discuss next steps for Jewish engagement. Many post-B’nai Mitzvah students in the Kavana community enjoy chanting Torah on Shabbat/holidays, chanting from Megillat Esther at Purim, taking part in leading our annual teen-led Saturday morning Shabbat service, or volunteering with Kavana youth programs.

Our Team

Each of our B'nai Mitzvah students is supported by a team of adults that includes Kavana staff, parents/family members, and (in almost all cases) a tutor, working in close collaboration with one another. Our staff team includes Rachel Lena Osias (our Director of Education, also affectionately known as RLO), Rabbi Jay LeVine and Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum (learn more about our team below!).