“The most meaningful, magical, and joyous day you can imagine!”
If you look at words written in Hebrew for the first time you might exclaim, “It’s Greek to me.”
Now, an Italian-American Rabbi, who over the last 15 years has officiated at hundreds of bar and bat mitzvahs in the U. S., Italy and Greece, is inviting families who are planning these milestone events during 2019 to consider holding the ceremony in one of Europe’s oldest and most historic synagogues – on the Isle of Rhodes, Greece. The Rhodes Bar/Bat Mitzvah week is set for August 19-28, 2019. Some dates have already been reserved, but still open are August 20, 21, 25, 26 and 27. Reservation deadline is Feb 15 to allow time for tutoring and planning. A bar (son) or bat (daughter) mitzvah is the religious initiation ceremony of a 13 year-old Jewish boy or girl.
A Chance to Make Your Own History
Rabbi Barbara says, “History is tangible on Rhodes. Most likely there were bar mitzvahs on Rhodes shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple by the Romans in the year 70 CE, and the subsequent scattering of the Jews throughout the Mediterranean region. Today, some 2,000 years later, boys and girls have the unique opportunity to follow in those historic footsteps and mark this important birthday in accordance with tradition on a scenic island.” Among well-known students who studied on Rhodes were Julius Caesar and Cicero.
As for logistics and advance planning, Rabbi Barbara handles the religious, ceremonial and historical aspects. Arranges a welcome meeting and a practice session with the student, and leads the service. Rabbi Barbara encourages the bar/bat mitzvah teen to select the name of a Greek child who, as a Holocaust victim, did not become bar or bat mitzvah. Most of Rhodes’ Jews were deported and killed by the Nazis during WW II.
Parents are responsible for securing the services of a local (hometown) tutor for their child. The Rabbi coordinates tutor guidelines and Skypes some lessons. She ensures that Hebrew readings are adapted to the students’ needs and abilities, so that regardless of learning style or disability, every child succeeds. She says, “Interfaith and non-traditional families are welcome to participate. This is a wonderful way to introduce Jewish tradition, bringing Judaism to life in a loving and meaningful way.”
Memories to Last A Lifetime
Ceremonies are held in the Kahal Kadosh Shalom synagogue, the oldest in Greece, built in 1577. It has been renovated in the style reminiscent of Old Spain, the ancestral home of Rhodes’ Greek Jews. Each youth receives a commemorative certificate, Kahal Shalom Synagogue lifetime family membership, and a ceremonial Kiddush cup created by a Rhodes ceramic artist. Each family pays an honorarium that helps to support the synagogue and the local Jewish community. The ceremony can be shared with siblings, family members or friends in a group of up to four.
One grandfather reminisced about his granddaughter’s ceremony: “Our children study the Holocaust, but to have the service in the very same synagogue from which these young Greek Jews were deported personalizes our history and makes the bar mitzvah more meaningful. My grandson not only dedicated his bar mitzvah to a boy who died in the Holocaust, he also learned about the boy’s family and what happened to them.” Thanks to the photos, ritual objects and family treasures on display in the adjacent museum, families come away with a deep connection to this unique community and a strong sense of personal Jewish identity.
In addition to speaking and teaching in Florida, Rabbi Barbara hosts ‘The Radio Rabbi’ program. She spends part of each year as the first and only woman rabbi in Italy where she heads congregation Ner Tamid del Sud, The Eternal Light of the South, the first active synagogue in Calabria in 500 years -- since Inquisition times. Her grandfather and father were actively involved in its renovation and rebirth. She also officiates at destination weddings in Italy and throughout Europe.
She says, “As your teen becomes a bar or bat mitzvah in this magnificent synagogue, your entire family will feel deep sense of pride in Jewish traditions and enjoy an historical and spiritual experience that is certain to enhance Jewish identity that will last a lifetime.” This note from a bat mitzvah mom that came soon after their family’s Rhodes bat mitzvah, sums up the experience:
"Emma’s bat mitzvah was the most meaningful, magical, and joyous day of our lives – and it was all because of your warm, kind, intelligent, loving, strength and guidance. It not only celebrated our miraculous daughter but the diversity and love of our family. It allowed cousins and friends from across the world to have precious time together and even repaired old, painful wounds. I don’t know how you bridged languages, cultures and religions to make everyone involved – from my Catholic husband and children – to my observant brother and sister-in-law –to feel the love, power and significance of the tradition, the history and the moment in Emma’s life.”
For more about bar and bat mitzvahs on Rhodes under the auspices of Rabbi Aiello in August 2019, email rabbi@rabbibarbara.com or visit www.RabbiBarbara.com . To learn more, visit https://rabbibarbara.com/greece-bar-bat-mitzvah/
Travel arrangements may be coordinated with award-winning travel pro Ellen Paderson of Smiles and Miles Travel. Contact Ellen at www.barmitzvahvacations .com . The Rhodes trip can be combined with a Greek island vacation or any other destination.
- By Stanley Hurwitz / 508-269-0570 / stanhurwitz@gmail.com
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