Ideas and activities for leading a pick & plan your mitzvah project workshop.
A companion to The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah … and Your Life, this workshop leader’s guide is packed with fun activities to choose from or to use as inspiration for crafting your own activities. Clear instructions, materials lists and goals will help you lead a meaningful workshop that shows participants how to make the world a better place through good deeds—big or small. Participants will:
• Become familiar with the meaning of “mitzvah”
• Learn about different mitzvah types and topics
• Explore mitzvah project ideas relating to their interests
• Start planning a doable mitzvah project of their own
About The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah …
and Your Life
This go-to source for Jewish young adults is packed with ideas to help boys and girls connect something they love to a mitzvah project or tikkun olam initiative they can be passionate about. It is filled with information, ideas and activities to spark young imaginations, as well as a planning guide to get organized and off to a good start.
To further inspire their actions, kids will love reading stories from young people around the country who have completed rewarding projects in the following categories:
Creativity and Compassion—Arts & Crafts • Clothes & Fashion • Computers & Technology • Food & Cooking • Movies & Drama • Reading & Writing
Putting Mitzvot in Motion—Animals • Camp • Fitness • Health • Music & Dance • Sports
Your World, Our World—Environment • Family • Friends, Neighbors & Your Community • Global Community • Israel • Your Jewish Heritage
“Wow! If you are looking for a way to put the ‘mitzvah’ in your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, this is the book for you. A fabulous resource for teens, families and synagogues. Highly recommended!”
—Dr. Ron Wolfson, co-president, Synagogue 3000; author,
God’s To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth
“A superb resource for young people and parents beginning preparation for B’nai Mitzvah. If you cannot find an idea for a mitzvah project, this book will certainly point you in the right direction.”
—Dr. Matthew King, EdD, head of the Rashi School, Dedham, Massachusetts
“Belongs on the desk of every Jewish educator and of every parent of a child who is preparing to become a bar or bat mitzvah.... Jam packed with ideas.... I can’t think of a more useful gift.”
—Jewish Tribune (Canada)
“An incredible tool for religious schools, youth groups and any family who wishes to make the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year a life-changing experience…. [A] powerful book.”
—Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, senior rabbi, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC
“A treasure-trove of amazing ideas…. Perfect for any B’nai Mitzvah-to-be, and also fantastic for any older children, tweens and teenagers who want to find a way to have a meaningful impact in their local or global community.”
—Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author, Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion
“A wonderful source guide for a new generation of Jewish children and their parents.”
—Cantor Mikhail Manevich, Washington Hebrew Congregation, Washington, DC
“Full of fun, engaging and valuable activities! Authors Diane Heiman and Liz Suneby do a great service to the Jewish people and our world, making today’s mitzvah projects even more accessible and meaningful for B’nai Mitzvah and beyond.”
—Rabbi Joel Sisenwine, Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley, Massachusetts;
rabbinic chair, Union for Reform Judaism’s Joint Commission on Worship, Music and Religious Living
“Helps make the process of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah relevant and meaningful. A great addition to this important life cycle!”
—Rabbi Jamie Korngold, the Adventure Rabbi; author,
The God Upgrade: Finding Your 21st-Century Spirituality in Judaism’s 5,000-Year-Old Tradition
“Speaks to our children simply and naturally, fanning the flames of their passions and interests and offering creative ideas so that the performance of mitzvot can be woven into their daily lives.”
—Cantor Jodi Sufrin, Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley, Massachusetts
“A must-read for every Bar/Bat Mitzvah student, parents, rabbis and educators…. Brilliantly reminds us that there is no better way to enter Jewish adulthood then to begin to put a vision for a more just and holy world into action.”
—Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, founder/president, Uri L’Tzedek, the Orthodox Social Justice Movement
Liz Suneby and Diane Heiman are coauthors of The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah ... and Your Life and It’s a ... It’s a ... It’s a Mitzvah (both Jewish Lights).
Liz Suneby and Diane Heiman are also available to speak on the following topic:
- Mitzvah Projects