Through the Years
Growing Up, Maya
We can't wait to celebrate Maya — and this milestone — with the people we love most. Below is everything you need for the weekend; we hope you'll join us for all of it.
A bat mitzvah marks the moment a Jewish girl comes of age — traditionally at thirteen — and takes on the rights and responsibilities of Jewish adulthood. From this day forward, she's considered accountable for her own actions within Jewish tradition, and is counted as a full member of the community.
The heart of the day is the service itself: Maya will be called to the Torah — the handwritten scroll containing the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — to chant a portion of it in front of family, friends, and community. It's the culmination of years of study, and the moment everyone's really there to see.
If this is your first bat mitzvah, here are a few things you might notice along the way:
The small head covering worn as a sign of respect during prayer and Torah reading. You'll likely see a basket of them at the entrance to the service — guests of any background are welcome, and encouraged, to wear one.
The scroll at the center of it all — handwritten in Hebrew, containing the Five Books of Moses. Watching it opened and read from is the ceremonial heart of the morning.
A fringed prayer shawl some wear during the service, often gifted to the bat mitzvah as a meaningful keepsake for this day.
A tradition at the evening celebration, not the service itself — Maya will call up family and close friends, one by one, to light a candle in their honor, with a few words about what they mean to her.
A few favorites from the Schicks, plus some homework on where to wander if you have extra days on either end of the trip.
Please let us know by October 1, 2027.
We've received your RSVP and can't wait to celebrate with you.