This is an American bar mitzvah invitation from the beginning of the twentieth century, designed by the artist Jacob Keller. The invitation, which was sent as a postcard, is written in English and includes empty lines to be filled in by the hosts with details such as the date, the name of the guest, the name of the bar mitzvah boy, and more. The guests are being invited here to two separate events: a reception in honour of their son becoming a bar mitzvah and a confirmation ceremony at the synagogue. Judging by its placement on the card, the reception seems to be the main event. Although the words “bar mitzvah” are written in Hebrew, the secular date is referred to, and there is no mention of the name of the Torah portion which is usually read in bar mitzvah ceremonies.
The invitation has colourful decorations. The main image consists of two pillars with a canopy made up of an Israeli flag on the right and an American flag on the left. Connecting the two flags is a blue Star of David with the word “Zion” written inside. Bouquets of flowers are sitting atop the flags. The invitation itself is written on a scroll and between the pillars and the scroll are two trees common in Israel: the palm tree and the cyprus tree. At the base of the invitation are two angels washing their hands in a fountain. The top of the fountain is adorned with a statue in the shape of the tablets of the Ten Commandments, inscribed with the words “the well of life.” The text of the invitation uses the word “confirmation” to describe the ceremony, and the words “bar mitzvah” are written in Hebrew in parentheses.
The idea of a confirmation ceremony was adopted by Reform rabbis in Germany at the beginning of the nineteenth century. They borrowed the form of the Christian confirmation and imbued it with Jewish content. Confirmation ceremonies were initially controversial within the Jewish community, so they were often conducted at home or in school. Later, as they became more widely accepted, the ceremonies were held in synagogues. The replacement of bar mitzvah celebrations with confirmation ceremonies was never fully accepted in the Reform movement, and it developed into a graduation ceremony for high school children, often held on the holiday of Shavuot. Many Reform and some Conservative congregations in the United States continue to conduct confirmation ceremonies.
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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.
