2008-11 Jackie's Bat Mitzvah

Hailey, along with LeAnn and Ray, were invited to attend the service at which her friend Jackie becomes Bat Mitzvah. It was at Mt. Zion Temple in St. Paul. This was a very special service in which Jackie becomes responsible for her adherence to Jewish law and traditions. She demonstrates her ability to the entire congregation and guests by leading much of the service, including prayer and chants. Much of the service is in Hebrew, which Jackie learned during her preparation. She read verses from the Torah and also presented the lesson of the day and her personal thoughts on the lesson, which were very impressive.

We attended a luncheon afterwards at the temple. The kids all ate their food quickly and headed outside to play various games on the lawn since it was such a beautiful fall day. It was fun to see kids who were dressed up playing various games together. It looked like a modern day version of photographs I have seen from grandparents where the kids dressed up for picnics and play.

In the evening, Jackie and her family hosted a dinner and activities for everyone at Circus Juventas. During the day, it is a circus school where performers learn the arts and skills of the circus, such as trapeze, high wire, trampoline and tumbling. In the evenings they host special events that are interactive. After the dinner, kids got to try the various circus activities under the watchful eye of the schools trainers and students. Hailey and her friends thoroughly enjoyed the experience and did not want to leave at the end of the night.