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BETH TFILOH adapts b’nai mitzvah projects for social distancing

From highschool graduationsto family vacations to wedding ceremonies, people have had to either make drastic changes to their planned life events or else place them on indefinite hold, thanks of course to coronavirus. B’nai mitzvah are no exceptions to this, with synagogues such as Beth Tfiloh Congregation having to find creative new ways to keep ancient customs chugging along.

“Because of COVID and everything, we’ve kind of changed our format for how we’ve been doing it,” said Rabbi Eli Yoggev, one of Beth Tfiloh’s rabbis, on how the synagogue has been approaching bar and bat mitzvah learning and projects this year. “So we’ve been having all of our bar and bat mitzvah students, there’s like around 20 of them, we’ve been having them do projects together.”

In this new format, the b’nai mitzvah students meet over Zoom once a month with their instructors, with each student doing a similar project to the others, Yoggev said.

One example involved students writing to or calling up senior members of the community who were unable to leave their homes, Yoggev said. “We connected one bar mitzvah student with one senior member of our community,” he said, “provide them questions they could ask them, kind of like do an interview, and either call them or write them.”

Yoggev, in addition to Rabbis Mitchell Wohlberg and

By Jesse Berman

Chai Posner and Synagogue Program Director Cherie Brownstein, worked to put the program together.

“We received a wonderful response from both sides,” Yoggev said. “The kids enjoyed it, and the senior members, they wanted to talk more, and they felt very empowered that someone reached out to them and showed them love.”

Sixth-grader Ami Bresler of Pikesville spent the summer emailing back and forth with one of the seniors, as well as a few children from Israel.

“It’s really fun and a special thing to do,” Ami said. “We’re able to email or send notes to older people, and email people from Israel that weren’t able to come into America due to COVID.”

Not content to call or write, at least one student,

Rabbi Eli Yoggev seventh-grader Spencer Miller of Baltimore, actually went to speak with the senior resident he was assigned in person, outdoors and six feet apart. The senior owns a boat at a local marina, and “seemed like a very nice guy,” Spencer said. “I’m interested in sailing, and he also is, so it was great connecting with him outside.”

Another project involved

Spencer Miller packing bagged lunches for those going through hard times. Donning gloves and sanitizer, Spencer explained, students assembled bags filled with items from their homes, including sandwiches, applesauce, pretzels, candy and drinks. The bagged lunches were then brought to a preapproved drop-off for distribution.

Despite all the challenges that

Ami Bresler come with COVID-19, Spencer said that his bar mitzvah project this year was actually “more fun, and it’s definitely helped me learn the valuable lessons [that] no one’s alone, and that you should always help people when they’re in need and connect with other people, so no one has to be alone.”

jberman@midatlanticmedia.com

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Top: Jake Sherman; Bottom: Mike Pachino DJs in 2019. The song of stayat-home orders continues to rock out on every radio station. Because of this, DJs have had to make an abrupt makeover to the concept of a gig.

Jake Sherman, a DJ with Washington Talent Agency who has managed the transition well, enjoys DJing for bar and bat mitzvahs the most.

“There’s always a moment in the party where, you know, the guests come in for a cocktail party, there’s an opening dance, everyone is unfocused, finding a seat,” Sherman said.

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“But then, the child comes in for introductions. Everyone is focused on them. That is an electric moment. Everyone is there for that child. And I can see it, because I’m on stage right there behind them looking out at everyone who is there for them.”

Sherman started DJing in 2013 while he was studying business. He now uses his degree to run the marketing department at Washington Talent while still DJing for the company of more than 100 musicians. “I love it, I like the people, I love that we deliver happiness every weekend,” Sherman said.

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Then the economic earthquake of COVID-19 shook up the company. At first, there was a huge decrease in bar and bat mitzvahs.

“Everyone in the industry was like, what do we do? The buzz word was pivot. We have a lot of people and we’re starving for work,” he said.

But the sun came out, quite literally. “Things started to open up as it got hotter, for outdoor events,” Sherman said.

Today, bar and bat mitzvahs look different than before the pandemic.

“In any party now, I separate myself [and DJ station]. I wear my mask the second I go to load up,” he said. “I will tell you, the few that I have had? People sometimes forget we’re in a pandemic. It’s interesting to see people still find a way to celebrate the milestones in life, whether it’s marriage or a mitzvah.”

People will dance from a distance, often with a mask on. Though it’s difficult to be sure guests have fun when you can’t see their faces, it’s a challenge Sherman’s willing to tackle.

Recently, his company entertained for a backyard party where they streamed the service for more guests to join virtually. For virtual events like this, they send a videographer to set up cameras beforehand. While about 15 people join in person, sometimes 75 join on a Zoom feed.

“We manage who can see the feed and allow them to come in and pin them to the screen, and control the audio and visual of it all. So it’s double duty work,” Sherman said.

After the party, they create highlights of the day and share recorded messages.

Even with all these safety precautions, there’s still a line to tiptoe across. “We have to make sure we’re safe and the customer is having the experience they want. No one’s ever had to stop because they felt so unsafe yet,” Sherman said.

Mike Pachino, a DJ also and member of Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation, can understand the sentiment.

To accommodate safety concerns, he’s pivoted to be a virtual event producer. Since lockdown, he’s orchestrated more than 70 virtual events, including what he calls ZOOMitzvahs.

For the online parties, Pachino turns homes into television studios. He sets up cameras for multiple angles, arranges audio and lighting, offers a tech dress rehearsal and creates a post-montage.

He keeps guests upbeat with family-friendly songs while they dance around their living rooms. “Then, I’ll lead interactive games, keeping the crowd moving, smiling and having fun,” he said. The games have to be adapted a little, such as a soccer version of a ring toss.

Even with all of the creative options DJs are offering, Pachino doesn’t believe things will return to normal for a while.

“I don’t believe that things will go totally back to normal until we are all vaccinated,” he said. “Most of my clients have postponed their service or party to the spring or fall of 2021.”

And boy, does he hope that comes soon.

cconte@midatlanticmedia.com