This is an announcement for the opening of an institute for bar mitzvah and Torah reading classes at the Tel Aviv Municipal Yeshivah High School in 1971. Lessons were to be held twice a week and were for boys from the age of 12, a year before they reached bar mitzvah age. The curriculum included the study of the Torah and the Prophets, religious laws (dinim and halachot), as well as preparation of bar mitzvah speeches. Classes were conducted in two separate groups, one teaching Ashkenazi style and the other Sephardi. Participation in the program was free of charge, except for the initial registration fee. Graduates of the program received a diploma, and those who graduated with honours were awarded prizes. The advertisement was published by the religious council of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, the body responsible for religious services such as marriage registrations, kashrut certification, and burial. The establishment of the institute was one of the religious council’s initiative to strengthen Jewish identity.
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Bar/Bat Mitzvah – Bar mitzvah for boys or bat mitzvah for girls refers to the ages, 12 and 13 respectively, at which a Jew becomes obligated to fulfil the Jewish commandments and is allowed to participate fully in Jewish ritual and law. Since the Middle Ages, Jewish families have celebrated this milestone with a variety of different ceremonies and celebrations that have developed over time and place. In the past only boys celebrated their coming of age, but these days, in most communities, girls also celebrate. Bar and bat mitzvahs may consist of the celebrant being called up to the Torah for an aliyah, reading the weekly Torah portion or Haftarah, giving a sermon about the Torah reading, or leading the prayer service. Parties are probably the most common way of celebrating this milestone with family and friends. In recent years, participating in a social action project has also become quite common in some communities. In the past only boys celebrated their coming of age, though in recent years almost all communities celebrate also the girls' Bat Mitzvah.
