A Bar Mitzvah in Israel is the best way to celebrate your son's transformation from childhood to adulthood in the revered Jewish state. It strengthens the Jewish links and kindles a passion and awe for your very own Jewish heritage. For people living in foreign countries, it can be a dream come true to spend a few days among the rich and beautiful surroundings of your ancient homeland. It provides you with an occasion to discover the mysteries of your ancient traditions and makes the event more meaningful in the life of your child. You can combine the celebration with a tour of your homeland and thus take back many happy memories of the joyous occasion.

Every Jew loves to bring back his family and celebrate Bar Mitzvah in Israel for each of his sons. It is a milestone which every Jewish boy has to cross at the age of 13. Girls too celebrate a similar rite called the Bat Mitzvah at the age of 12. It is an important event in the life of every Jewish boy and girl as it denotes a leap in time, after which the child will be treated as an adult and will be fully responsible for his/her deeds. Since the event has so much relevance in the life of every Jew, it is celebrated with great fanfare but with strict adherence to the traditional rites to be performed during this occasion.

Planning for a Bar Mitzvah in Israel entails going through the details to make the event a success. A typical order of events can be encapsulated as the following:

• Welcoming The Guests – The Bar Mitzvah boy and his family stand at the entrance of the venue in the evening and welcome the guests who they have invited for the occasion. The guests offer gifts to the boy or insert an envelope containing money into a safe kept guarded at the side.

• The First Course – The guests are then guided into a lobby where they are treated to a buffet with many soft and hard drinks accompanied by snack items. There is also a bar but no seats are provided here. This is a fun way in a Bar Mitzvah in Israel to get the guests to mingle with each other. Some parties skip this portion of the events and directly motion the guests to the main hall where they are seated at tables. Several varieties of rolls and salads are served to keep them busy before the next event gets underway.

• The Bar Mitzvah Boy's Entry – A few minutes later when all the guests have assembled, the boy makes a grand entry accompanied by his parents and siblings. The audience breaks into applause on seeing them. The boy takes a long walk from the hall entrance to the dance floor to the tune of ostentatious music. Everyone then begins to dance. Some amount of creativity can be introduced in the grand entry of the boy to make the event still more interesting and unusual during Bar Mitzvah in Israel.

• The Second Course – Soon the dancing stops and the guests are seated at their tables to engage in the second course of meals. Quite often, this consists of liver, fish or a pastry pie.

• The Main Event – At around 9.30 pm in the night, the main event, which is the Bar Mitzvah ceremony, begins. The guests are in their seats and the entire family of the Bar Mitzvah boy assembles on the dance floor. A speech is given by the boy and then a huge candelabrum is lit. Usually, there are 14 candles in the candelabrum. Each of these candles is lit by the most important people in his life, who come on stage one by one.

A Bar Mitzvah in Israel involves mentioning the contribution of the fallen soldiers and a candle is also lit in their name. Another candle may also be lit for the ancestors of the family. Some people prefer to make the event a completely religious one and they include a rabbi who writes the speech and informs the boy of his duties. Finally, the guests are thanked for turning up on the occasion.

• Dancing Again – This time, the boy dances with his mother first and then all the guests enter the dance floor. Popular Israeli music is played and the people really have a ball.

• The Third Course – The main course of meal is now served which has all delicacies of meat and also includes rice and potatoes. The videos and photos of the Bar Mitzvah in Israel are screened either after this or during the meal so that everyone can take a look.

• The Final Course – Dessert is finally served and the clock nears midnight now. The guests may prefer to take black tea and coffee at the end after which they finally take leave of their hosts. Most of the event halls prefer to have the formalities completed by midnight. The Israeli national anthem marks the end of the evening and everyone will stand in honor of it. The Bar Mitzvah in Israel is finally over.

Although this is a general plan of the events during the ceremony, you can try out many variations. You can even think of a unique place to have the event. Creativity can make the Bar Mitzvah in Israel a really special one and everyone present will remember it for a lifetime.