Becoming an adult in the Jewish faith at age twelve/thirteen hearkens back to centuries of Jewish tradition. While the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a time for joyous celebration, it is also important to remember those who never had the opportunity to mark this important life cycle event.

Approximately 1.5 million children were murdered in the Holocaust, many before they reached the age of Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program of Remembrance gives students between the ages of 11-13 a way to honour the memory of those children. 

Program components include a museum visit featuring testimony from a survivor speaker; a copy of We Are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust by Jacob Boas; student workbook (written and published by the Neuberger Centre); a final creative project based on the name and experiences of one child murdered during the Holocaust.

For more information, contact the Neuberger at neuberger@ujafed.org. 

It is recommended that students apply at least 6 months prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.