20 years since my Bat Mitzvah, Australian Jewish women have much to celebrate

I recently celebrated my birthday. My 30th was a big shebang, but when it came to turning 32 this year, I was like, "meh, just another trip around the sun”. But then, as I approached the big 3-2, it hit me – this was a milestone! Suddenly, I found myself reminiscing about a pivotal moment in my life: my Bat Mitzvah, which took place 20 years ago.

It's funny how such an event from so far in the past still resonates so strongly. Back then, I was just a spunky 12-year-old girl with a penchant for challenging norms and dreaming big.

My Bat Mitzvah was a pretty modest affair. While some of my friends had extravagant parties, I opted for an arts and crafts event with my classmates. I was in grade six at an all-girls Chasidic school. Most girls chose to do something fairly tame. Sometimes we baked challah, other times we made Havdalah sets. At my Bat Mitzvah, the Art Factory helped my friends and I make Shabbat candle holders with tissue paper.

A quick peek at old pictures show 12-year-old me surrounded by friends. I’m smiling widely, proud of the pearls my aunty from Sydney gifted me, and wearing a brown hat I had recently purchased from Pumpkin Patch, which I thought was very chic.

Looking back at those photos now, it's wild to think how much has changed in just two decades.

In the early 2000s, the landscape of Judaism was undergoing a subtle revolution, particularly concerning the role of women. While I was revelling in my arts and crafts Bat Mitzvah, some girls I knew were pushing boundaries by participating in women's Torah readings – a concept considered radical in our tight-knit Melbourne community.