Eighteen men whose average age is 42 will participate next Saturday in an unusual, mass “Bar Mitzvah” rite at Temple Beth Jacob, in Redwood City, near here, under the guidance of the temple’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Herbert D. Teitelbaum, it was announced today.
The men have concluded two years of special study in Hebrew and in Jewish customs and traditions under Rabbi Teitelbaum’s tutelage. All of them volunteered for such a class two years ago, when some members of the congregation, who had missed being Bar Mitzvah when they were 13, asked for such instruction.
The adult B’nai Mitzvah include one man with a doctorate in philosophy, four engineers, a steel company executive, and other professionals and businessmen. Among them, the B’nai Mitzvah have 48 children and two grandchildren. Nine of the adults have sons who had already celebrated their Bar Mitzvah. All but two are native-born. According to Rabbi Teitelbaum, all members of the special class plan to continue their education in Hebrew and Jewish traditions.
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