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MitzvahChic Preface
By Gail Greenberg
In the spirit of full disclosure there are a few other bar/bat mitzvah planning books out there. Most are written by Jewish clergy or at least very observant Jewish people who know a lot about the ritual and want to explain it all to you. Although these are very important reference books, I found when I was a first-time planner that most gave too much information and too little real guidance on all the practical matters that parents struggle with. They went into great detail about how rituals vary at different synagogues but didn't answer some of the most basic questions of all:
How can I - a normal non-scholarly person - get interested in what my child is studying?
How can I better connect with my feelings of "Jewishness" at this most Jewish time in life?
Or, presuming I know Torah and feel Jewish, how do I use it in the party…and keep it fun and engaging? How do I do justice, partywise, to this very powerful Jewish experience?
At best, the books paid little attention to the party; at worst, they implied that it's unseemly to fuss about the party at all. I understand where they're coming from. It's frustrating to devout people to see the attention lavished on bar/bat mitzvah parties, particularly when the parents cannot even say what their child's Torah portion is about. But the people who criticize those over-the-top parents have also missed some important points: first, parents of a child becoming a bar/bat mitzvah need BIG ways to express the overwhelming pride and happiness they feel; and second, no one has shown them a good alternative. A bar/bat mitzvah is an emotional highpoint in the life of a family - we all feel this potential and don't want to shortchange ourselves in any way.
This book is written by a parent for other parents planning a bar or bat mitzvah for their child. Parents who may know a lot about Judaism, but not about how to throw a soulful and captivating party. Parents who can give an OK party, but aren't really connected with what we're celebrating because the deeply philosophical "Jewish part" just seems too difficult to understand and use. Parents who lack confidence in both areas. Parents who, for whatever reason, are not loving every minute of this!
When you pick up a bar/bat mitzvah planning book, you should feel like you're "home"; that you now have all the answers you need. The book should sing to you, "Rejoice! This will be such a special day...let me show you how!"
I set out to write such a book because I was once a parent with a date and a sense of utter bewilderment. Where to begin? I had resources - I was a professional writer and craft artist, meaning I had the ability to research what I needed to know and mold it into something attractive to put on a table. But even I was overwhelmed. Neither the serious bar/bat mitzvah books nor the frivolous party-planning books seemed to cover all the bases and how could they? To really hit a homerun when planning a bar or bat mitzvah, you need a command of the serious and frivolous. It may look similar to any big party, but it's not nearly as simple as, say, planning a Sweet 16 party because it's an event that's about ideas - first, the idea that your child is embracing the Torah, and finally the great ideas of the Torah itself.
In the process of writing this book, I went from having zero knowledge of the Torah to being in awe of it. I found a trail to take you inside the scroll that is the heart of the bar/bat mitzvah and the Jewish experience. That's how I can promise that, with surprisingly little additional effort, you too can experience the wonder. Whether you consider yourself religious or not. And, having experienced wonder, you will inevitably host an event more moving and evocative than most people will ever achieve. And who knows where that will lead you…as a Jew and as a human being. Parents lose a lot of precious time stressing over the "hows". How to figure it all out successfully, meet their own high expectations and get the most out of the lavish financial and emotional sums required for even modest events. The demands keep many of us from really experiencing this magical time with our child. I wanted to write a book that would vastly simplify the process of planning an incredible event so that parents would be free to think, dream…and take the journey.
There is a whole world of wonderful ideas and resources out there that can make your mitzvah experience transcendent. They've never been compiled into one simple-to-use resource until now. MitzvahChic is a celebration of taste and style that also has soul, passion and intellect. It's the thinking-person's guide to expressing compelling ideas with style and élan.
No book, though, can answer everyone's questions and that's why this book has been developed in concert with a website - www.MitzvahChic.com. Go there to talk to me and your fellow planners, to get ideas, and to find the links for products and organizations described in MitzvahChic. One of the most exciting features you'll find is a calendar where you can post your child's party date and time to avoid conflicts with his/her friends. Encourage every mitzvah-planning family you know to register here so that this becomes a really useful tool for everyone.
Once you're on the calendar, your child can create a "wish list" gift registry that will simplify gift-giving for family and friends on bar/bat mitzvah day, and on all the holidays and graduations leading up to it! After the big day, you can even join our MitzvahChic family album by posting a few photographs for guests to view.
MitzvahChic is the #1 bar/bat mitzvah planning book and website! Visit http://www.MitzvahChic.com and be sure to sign up for FREE planning reminder emails.
About the Author
Gail Greenberg is the creator of MitzvahChic.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/36255.html
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