Whose Bar/Bat Mitzvah Is This, Anyway?: A Guide for Parents Through a Family Rite of Passage (Paperback)

~ Judith Davis (Author) "All my adult life I've hardly ever been able to say the words mazel tov without getting a lump in my throat..." (more)
Key Phrases: mitzvah mother, mitzvah parents, mitzvah child, B'nai Mitzvah, New York City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Davis, a family therapist at the University of Massachusetts,

Review
"As a family therapist, I loved this book. Judy Davis is the first writer I now to take the best ideas from family therapy and weave them into a ceremony of ordinary life. The bar/bat mitzvah is a magical interlude of healing for the whole family and a beautiful example of how a life-cycle ritual can be used to transcend the hurts and differences that arise in any group. Judy has braided a challah of hope for everyone." --Lynn Hoffman, author of Foundations of Family Therapy

"This book is both an indispensable tool and a precious gift for every bar and bat mitzvah family. It is required reading. At last we have a manual for lay people detailing in easy and engaging language what every religious professional has known all along: that the dynamics of our extended families are the primary source not only of our joy and anxiety but also our best hope." --Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, author of Invisible Lines of Connection

"Thoughtful, helpful, and wise, Whose Bar/Bat Mitzvah Is This, Anyway? gives parents the great gift of perspective. Judith Davis writes about the emotional and developmental dimensions of this old-yet-new coming-of-age ritual that is ultimately all about 'enacting our best selves'." --Anita Diamant, author of The New Jewish Wedding and Choosing a Jewish Life

"I have read Whose Bar/Bat Mitzvah Is This, Anyway? with great pleasure-with laughter one minute, tears the next. The greatest strength of the book lies in its numerous anecdotes, each of which has an important lesson to impart. I have always said that parents can learn the most from other parents' experiences, and this book will proof of that." --Cantor Helen Leneman
-- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312181973
• ISBN-13: 978-0312181970
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #663,652 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!, January 3, 1999

By A Customer

Every family with a bar/bat mitzvah age child should read this book. It helps you understand exactly what you are all going through emotionally, and it shows you the way to transform the turmoil into a growth-promoting experience.

I plan to buy several to give to family and friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful walk-through of another culture, October 18, 2003

By	"cwaseleski" (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

As a non-Jew, I didn't begin to understand the deep significance of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. This book allowed me to be a guest amidst the joy and frustration of planning for this special event. It was a wonderful walk-through of another culture for me and a reminder of the importance of ritual in our lives.