It’s been a while since I, BATmom, the Surprising Superhero have had a moment to visit my blog to post my rantings. Instead, I have gone through the past month of Chagim, post chagim and more chagim with the above rantings circulating my head, desperately pleading to get out! Well, here I am, finally putting some of my thoughts down – the rest will have to stay put until the time is right!
Bat Mitzvah mom sighs...
Most importantly, its time to update you all about BATgirl’s Bat Mitzvah plans. In a previous posting I revealed that this year, the BATfamily will be partaking in a multifaceted journey in which we will explore some of the Bat Mitzvah messages to which a Bat Mitzvah girl should be exposed. I have spent some time thinking about the messages that I would like to put forward to BATgirl and I have finally made a plan which will allow us to uncover those messages from fun, experiential and meaningful angles. We live in Israel, so in 6 day trips, our family will be visiting places and people (within reasonable traveling distance) that will have a message to share. Below is a very brief and tentative itinerary. The order of the experiences below is purely based on logistics and convenience.
Bat Mitzvah day trip itinerary
Outing number 1 – the purpose of this outing is to think about the difference that a single individual can make with his/her actions, it is a place where we will explore the importance of having pride and commitment to our nation and our Jewish identity. This place is Har Herzl.
Outing number 2 – the purpose of this outing will be to hear the ancient story of Jerusalem, the 3000 year old capital of the Jewish people, and so we will be visiting the Kotel Tunnels.
Outing number 3 – this outing will take place just after Chanukah, a festival when we dwell on heroism, perseverance and striving through the dark to reach the light. We will have a chance to think about all of that, during our visit to Machon Ayalon.
Sort of unrelated pic, but I thought I would post it anyway 
Outing number 4- the purpose of this outing is to explore our family roots- all the way to the ancient source – the Biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs. Therefore we will be visiting Ma’arat HaMachpela.
Outing number 5 – “Only with the heart can one see right.” Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince. Keeping that in mind, we will be visiting the Holon’s Children Blind museum. We will also be thinking about how each of us has our own difficulties, and how we should relate to our personal challenges.
Outing number 6 – is to a yet – undisclosed location. But we can reveal to you that the tour guide will be BATgirl’s Saba – who also likes to call himself Sponge-Da. Sponge-Da will be taking BATgirl and her classmates to one of the places that he is involved with supporting, and at this location the girls will have an opportunity to partake in a Chesed project. The purpose of this outing will be to think about, and act on, the imperative of looking after the people around us who need our help.
Learning about helping people out
So there you have 6 day trips that the BATFamily will be making over the next few months. These outings represent 6 Bat Mitzvah messages, which will be reinforced in the Bat Mitzvah ceremony. I promise that we’ll talk about the ceremony another time, although I will say now that we will dwell on what it means to be a Jewish woman, the chain of Jewish generations and our family.
There are many, many important messages out there that I couldn’t fit into the itinerary – wherever you are in the world, I would love to hear where you would take your daughter to learn a Bat Mitzvah message – please feel free to tell me in the comment box below.
