One correction to Gary Rosenblatt’s thoughtful column describing the bar mitzvah revolution (“URJ Overhauling The Bar/Bat Mitzvah,” June 22).
Simon Kuh did indeed chant his Torah and Haftorah (beautifully) in our New Emanuel Minyan service. What made his bar mitzvah different was the focus on bar mitzvah as a rite of passage to adulthood, not just in the Jewish ritual sense but also as a training opportunity for the skills necessary to become an adult in the broader world. Hence, the bus ride through Los Angeles that helped him notice the inequality that so characterize life in this city.
The magic of his dvar torah was his ability to link what he learned on the bus ride with his Torah portion (Naso), challenging him to think about who counts in our world and who is counting.
Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills
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