Everyone is always welcome at Etz Chayim Shabbat and Festival services, as well as at the Oneg following services. A service that includes a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is no exception. On the other hand, a party or reception held in honor of the Bar/t Mitzvah is a private event by invitation.  Nonetheless, in order to foster the strong and inclusive sense of community that our congregation values, it is the policy of Etz Chayim that if you plan to invite most of the kids in your child’s class to the party, we ask that you consider inviting all the kids.
   
Because you and your children will probably be attending so many Bar/t Mitzvahs this coming year, there is the potential for an overabundance of gifts to be exchanged, which stresses the wrong value—materialism. As one way of putting the mitzvah back into Bar/t Mitzvah, we will establish an Etz Chayim Bar/t Mitzvah Class Tzedakah Fund each year.  All are encouraged to contribute to the fund in honor of each of the Bar/t Mitzvahs in lieu of giving a gift.  Of course, close personal or family friends of the Bar/t Mitzvah may choose to give a gift in addition to contributing to the Fund in their honor.

During the Tzedakah session of the Family Class, families will determine how the funds will be allocated through an exercise of voting for worthy causes selected by the class. The deadline for giving to the Fund will be the following December 31 st – at the end of the year of the classes’ Bar/t Mitzvah celebrations. At that time, the money collected during the entire year will be sent to the organizations according to the proportions set during the allocation process.