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October 2012

Simone Ellin

By Cantor Matt Axelrod
Jason Aronson, 2012 Soft cover, 197 pages

Cantor Matt Axelrod’s new guide is written primarily for kids, but how I wish it was around when I was planning my daughter’s bat mitzvah. The cantor’s simple explanations and attention to even the most obvious details of the b’nai mitzvah process sure would have come in handy. “Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah” may even appeal to those hard-to-please, eye-rolling young teens who are actually experiencing the rite of passage. And unlike so many books about bar and bat mitzvahs that spend so much time on the party, this book manages to be fun while only focusing on the religious aspects of the ritual. Your child might not admit it, but if you left it on his bed, he just might check it out. If not, you can read it yourself.