Celebrating the bar and bat mitzvah year

Ask any Millennial or late Generation Xer what they remember most from their bar and bat mitzvah year and they’re sure to come up with an identical list of core memories.

Butterfly clips, kitten heels, denim jackets, baggy pants, and lots and lots of gel. A synagogue service or group ceremony followed by a disco. And of course, the obligatory signature board on the stand, where ‘you were great in shule’ would be scrawled by 100 of your closest mates.

But what happens when your bar or bat mitzvah year falls during COVID?

As Kate Lewis pointed out to Tami Sussman, it’s not like you can reschedule turning 12 or 13.

That concept became the inspiration for their live podcast recording You Were Great in Shule!, part of this year’s Festival of the Spoken Word by Shalom Collective.

As Sussman explained to The AJN, the pair hope to create a safe space for the community to laugh, despite having gone through so much trauma over the past few years. Sussman and Lewis will be joined by guests including Talia Emsalem and Josh Kirsh, who will take audiences through their bat and bar mitzvah memories.

When discussing the current bar and bat mitzvah landscape, Sussman noted that some things never change.

“I’m reliably informed the tweens’ focus is still heavily weighted towards the party – which they no longer call a ‘disco’,” she said, though she acknowledged many programs themselves have changed dramatically.

“The biggest change, from what I’ve seen, is that bar and bat mitzvah programs have become so much more engaging and respectful of young people. Educators are finding creative ways to make Jewish learning feel relevant to the lives kids are living today. That certainly wasn’t my experience, or Kate’s,” she explained.

The other big change Sussman observed is that while Millennials and Generation Xers had the luxury of closed doors, the lives of tweens and teens today are playing out very publicly.

“I think this generation is actually a little more conservative than we were. They’ve grown up knowing almost every moment can end up online, so there’s a different kind of self-awareness,” Sussman said. “I sometimes wonder if that makes it harder to completely let loose on the dance floor. I really hope our show reminds people that there’s something wonderful about embracing a bit of unfiltered, gloriously awkward joy.”

So why do the show as a live podcast recording? For Sussman and Lewis, it’s about ensuring everyone can access the conversation even if they can’t be there, but balancing that against the energy of a live performance.

“As a veteran (lol) of live performance, I truly believe nothing can replicate the energy and immediacy of being in a room together. There’s a particular buzz that comes from being in a live audience. They inevitably become part of the story rather than just spectators or ‘consumers’ of art and stories,” Sussman said, explaining that taking the show into the podcast space expands its reach. “It allows the conversation, stories and insights from the event to continue reaching people long after the live experience has ended.”

You Were Great in Shule! is on August 29. For tickets, visit shalomcollective.com.au/whats-on/you-were-great-in-shule