Adult women line up for the bat mitzvah experience they missed

The popular bat mitzvah program for adults run by the Great Synagogue is now being offered across the Sydney community. “Embracing Bat Mitzvah: Sisterhood and Tradition”, for adults who missed the opportunity when younger, is attracting women across generations and religious affiliations, and is now open to non-members.

Specifically designed for adult women, the 12-week program, which starts on September 1, features a range of experienced educators offering Sunday morning classes covering topics such as spirituality, mitzvahs, prophetesses and famous Jewish women, culminating with the group’s bat mitzvah in December.

Coinciding with The Great Synagogue’s ‘Women Of Worth’ (WOW) Weekend in 2019, and with the approval and encouragement of Chief Minister Rabbi Ben Elton, the initiative was launched by the congregation’s then Vice President Caroline Lewis.

“Call me selfish, but I’d never had a bat mitzvah and I really wanted to have one,” Lewis told The Jewish Independent.

“I wanted to know the feeling of walking up on to the bimah, surrounded by friends and family, and to experience the role of a woman in a Shule service.”

It didn’t take long to fill the spots when the program was launched as “12 Over 12” in 2019, Lewis said, as many women had been overlooked for their bat mitzvah. 

“When they were 12 it wasn’t deemed fashionable for girls to have a bat mitzvah, or it was simply seen as an opportunity only for a boy’s role. These 12 women wanted to find a way to experience it.”

Designing the format required an educator. Jacki Gluck facilitated a program that took place every Sunday over six weeks.

“Some of my ‘12 over 12’ peers also wanted to honour their parents or loved ones, many lost in the Holocaust,” says Lewis, “while others in the group, including two women who had completed conversions to Judaism, saw a bat mitzvah as their chance to engage in a deeply meaningful religious experience.”

For Lewis, the experience drew on her mother, Alice Hubbers, who was on the Kindertransport at age 13. In 1938 Hubbers witnessed Hitler enter Vienna, and later Kristallnacht, before escaping the Nazi invasion. 

“She rarely celebrated birthdays, and a bat mitzvah was definitely not on the cards. When I thought about what she was doing at 12, I wanted to stand up there for her, and for all the women during that era who weren’t able to celebrate their childhood – let alone participate in a milestone like this.”

Inspired by her daughter’s actions, Hubbers took the opportunity to celebrate her own bat mitzvah with the following cohort. However, as the program went into hiatus during lockdowns, the next intake was for the December 2023 ceremony. Hubbers was 98 by then, the most senior of any group. She turns 100 in January.

Hubbers says the reason she wanted to have one was “to catch up on doing more things that connect me with my Jewish religion and heritage”.

The women found many reasons for marking their bat mitzvahs. “12 over 12 sounded so cool!” enthused Diane Alperstein, another member of the 2023 who was in her seventies when she participated. “It was a revelation; I realised I was being offered the opportunity to fill a gap in my life, strongly connected to my Jewish heritage. The experience was, I’m not exaggerating when I say, electric.

“On the first day that we met, everyone was beaming; anticipation and eagerness at the learning before us. It was a powerful and emotional experience… [that] we could relate to more deeply as adults.”

This experience changed significantly following October 7. “It gave us a platform to discuss the bravery of the Israeli women. We could also relate this to the significance of our role in the continuing survival of the Jewish people.”

“I could see what impact [of the bar mitzvah ceremony] had on my daughter and granddaughters – in fact one of my grandchildren thinks you should only have your bat mitzvah when you’re over 70!

“It was an incredible experience ... I feel better for it! Somehow, I feel more Jewish than I did before! I’m very happy I did it.”

This year’s program is being run by the Chair of Great Women, Sharon Schach. “The women who do this class become very close, it [becomes] a sisterhood. They’re sharing something very, very special,” Schach says.

“One person who registered asked me: ‘I don’t know any Hebrew – can I still do this?’ Absolutely. Of course! All the classes are conducted in English, so knowledge of Hebrew is not a requirement.”

“Another asked: ‘I’m not a shule-goer, I’m not religious but I still want to do it.’ Schach assured her, stating: ‘That’s fine. We’re not making you do anything. Not become religious nor [Shabbat] observant. Not requiring that you eat Kosher food.’

“[The program aims] to help you learn about your Jewish background; to embrace you into the Jewish community in whatever format you want.”

Alperstein concludes: “It comes with the benefit of making friends, in your shule or wider community. Enrolling in the bar mitzvah program will exceed your expectations.”

Find out more about the Great Synagogue's “Embracing Bat Mitzvah: Sisterhood and Tradition” program.