When most people think of Bat or Bar Mitzvahs, they picture long Torah portions, bad buffets, and pre-teen dance parties. But the 12 students in the Adult B’Nei Mitzvah Project at the University are taking a new approach to coming of age within the Jewish faith. According to Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Rabbi David Leipziger Teva, being a B’Nei Mitzvah at a later age can enhance the religious experience because adults are better able to fully understand the implications of becoming an “adult” within the Jewish community.

Rabbi Teva explained that Jewish youth traditionally have a Bat or Bar Mitzvah in early adolescence for mostly practical reasons. In the middle ages the typical age of marriage was 14, which meant pre-teens were adults. Nowadays, turning twelve is no longer considered to be the threshold for adulthood.

The experience of having a B’Nei Mitzvah is far more transformative when you’re older, Teva said. Candidates can understand and absorb more, and their motivation lies in the fact that they entered the program on their own initiative, not as a response to parental pressure.

A number of volunteers help keep the program alive, including Hebrew tutors who assist the candidates in chanting their verses of the Torah. Daphna Spivack ’13, a co-organizer of the program, became a Bat Mitzvah at the age of 12 but said that her involvement with the adult classes has rejuvenated her faith.

“Seeing other people excited about these topics and seeking this out was really exciting to me,” Spivack said. “The candidates have been inspiring to me because seeing their interest has renewed my interests as well.”

This year, there are twelve B’Nei Mitzvah candidates. However, the class involves and affects far more people than just the participating students.

“B’Nei Mitzvah candidates actually give the community very positive things to think about and feel good about,” Teva said. “Through these 12 candidates, the Jewish community engages dozens of volunteers. There’s a need for this. They, the candidates, help us prioritize what really matters and the class matters because we’re responding to a need of something that students want to do.”

Ninety-minute classes are held every Friday afternoon, with a total of fifteen classes over the semester, covering a number of topics in contemporary Judaism such as history, law, Shabbat, keeping Kosher, and the state of Israel. While Teva teaches some classes, other sessions are led by other students in the Jewish community, outside professors, and speakers from the greater Middletown community.

The class requires students to learn and chant at least three verses in the Torah and write a D’Var Torah–a mini sermon and analytical interpretation of the Torah. These studies have the power to be incredibly meaningful and reflective, and the students read them to the community at a culminating ceremony in May.

“The D’Var Torah are incredibly moving and amazing,” Teva said. “I’ve seen faculty members sob. I’ve seen faculty who have these students in their classes really be moved, and others laugh hysterically.”

Gideon Levy ’13, one of this year’s B’Nei Mitzvah candidates, said that the program has enhanced his college experience. A member of the newly formed Jewish fraternity on campus Alpha Epsilon Pi, Levy did not have a Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13 due to family circumstances, but knew it was something he wished to do. Levy acknowledged that there are merits to having waited; he is able to interpret the material better and feels that overall the experience is very healthy.

“I feel like it’s going to enhance my Wesleyan experience overall because of the community that I’m doing it with,” Levy said. “These are Wesleyan students. It’s Wesleyan’s Rabbi, and all of the tutors are from Wesleyan.”

“This campus has a lot of detrimental ways in which students interact; ways that are abusive, hurtful, addictive, and illegal,” Teva added. “You have so many hours awake and so many things that you can do. Being part of a religious and spiritual community might help you be a better, well-rounded, happier person.”

Carey Gilchrist ’13 is another candidate in the program who feels that the experience is bringing her closer to the University community – especially its spiritual one.

“I felt nervous sometimes to go to the Shabbat services or participate at the Bayit and now I feel like I have more of a grounding in Jewish life and hopefully I will be able to become more involved,” she said.

Rabbi Teva said he feels that spiritual development is one of the most important aspects of life at the University. The Adult B’Nei Mitzvah class is one avenue in which students can pursue that growth.

“If when you graduate from here, you have Phi Beta Kappa and a Certificate and you majored in seven things, but nothing happened to your religious and spiritual development, I’d consider withholding your diploma,” Teva said. “Or, that’s too harsh, I would say that you failed to take advantage of an aspect of Wesleyan which will be much harder to access post-college.”