Congregational Kiddush

Becoming bar/bat mitzvah is both a celebration of a life-cycle moment for an individual family and a joyful moment for the entire community as it welcomes its newest adult member.  To acknowledge the role that the entire community plays in each simcha, it is KI’s custom for families celebrating a bar/bat mitzvah at KI to sponsor kiddush for the congregation.  If your celebration is on a Shabbat morning, the kiddush would immediately follow the bar/bat mitzvah in the Epstein Auditorium.  If your celebration is at another time during the week, you may decide the best moment to celebrate with the entire community on a Shabbat morning.  

Arrangements for Providing Kiddush

We look forward to working with you to plan for your kiddush. Please be in touch with Paula Silver who will walk you through each step of the process.

If you wish, we will arrange for kiddush to be provided, or you may do so with one of our approved caterers.

Click here for an outline of our standard kiddush, including the standard cost.

A menu for supplementing the standard kiddush is also available in the synagogue office.  If you choose to host a separate luncheon for your family and friends, you may reserve Landers Hall or Novakoff Hall (there will be a room charge as well as fees for accommodation and custodial services); the congregational kiddush takes place each week in the Epstein Auditorium and will not be moved for simchas. Click here for room reservation information

Kashrut

Congregation Kehillath Israel follows the laws of kashrut. Use of kitchen facilities must be approved.  For a list of approved caterers and bakeries, please click here.  Because the office closes for shabbat, all deliveries must be made before noon on Friday.

No Nuts

Due to severe allergies, Congregation Kehillath Israel is a nut-free facility.  

Decorations

Some families choose to enhance the space with a variety of decorations for a simcha.  Decorations must be prepared before Shabbat and be easily removable.  We recommend looking into ecologically-friendly, reusable materials for decorations.  Many families have decided to decorate with baskets of canned goods, books, or other materials that they will later donate for use by needy families.  Some use flowers or other decorations in the sanctuary and auditorium.  Jews United for Justice in Washington, D.C. has put together a helpful guide for green and just celebrations, available for download here: http://www.jufj.org/green_just_celebrations.

Entertainment  

If your celebration takes place on Shabbat, it must fit with the Shabbat observance of the synagogue community.  Recorded music and musical instruments are not used in the building on Shabbat.  A storyteller or an a cappella singing group may certainly provide entertainment.  Food must all be delivered before Shabbat begins.  During the week, entertainment should fit with the values of modesty and propriety of the community.  If your celebration is after Shabbat, your vendors may not set up the space and deliveries cannot be made until after shabbat is completely over.  In practice, this means that celebrations cannot begin until an hour or more after Shabbat is over.  It is important to take this into consideration in planning the timing of your celebration.

Click here to return to the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Center Main Page.