Life Cycle Events

Jewish tradition teaches us to celebrate the joyous moments in life and to support one another in times of difficulty and loss. We welcome new baby boys and girls into the covenant with a bris or baby naming. We teach our children to chant from the Torah scroll as bar or bat mitzvah. We celebrate the joys of a couple coming together in marriage under the chuppah. And we support one another when a loved one leaves this world. As a Reform Temple, we also welcome with joy those who wish to convert and to join the Jewish people.  Rabbi Eisenkramer and Cantor Edison are honored to officiate at these holy and important moments in your lives.

Brit Milah
B’rit milah (literally, “covenant of circumcision”), also called a bris, is the Jewish ritual in which male babies are formally welcomed into the Jewish people on the eighth day of their lives. Rabbi Eisenkramer can put you in touch with a mohel and co-officiate as well.

Baby Naming
The ceremony that celebrates the birth of a daughter and her entry into the covenant of the Jewish people is known as a baby naming or b'rit bat. Many families choose to have the baby naming in the first year after their daughter is born, but the naming can also take place later as well. Rabbi Eisenkramer can speak with you to arrange and officiate at a baby naming.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah
In Reform synagogues, boys and girls mark symbolic entry into Jewish adulthood with a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at age thirteen. For more information on Bar or Bat Mitzvah and religious school, please contact Rabbi Eisenkramer at 732-251-4300, then dial “1”.

Wedding
Rabbi Eisenkramer is available to officiate at Jewish wedding ceremonies for Jewish couples, interfaith couples and same-sex couples. Please contact the Rabbi as soon as possible to discuss your upcoming wedding plans and date. Rabbi Eisenkramer is also available to offer an aufruf, a wedding blessing, in the weeks before the ceremony.

Funeral
The death of a loved one is a difficult and painful time for family and friends. Rabbi Eisenkramer is here to help you in planning and officiating at the funeral. Rabbi is also available to officiate at the unveiling, in which the gravestone is dedicated a year after the passing of a loved one.

When a death occurs, please contact Rabbi Eisenkramer directly by phone at 732-251-4300, then “1”.

Conversion
Reform Judaism teaches that we are to welcome with open arms those who wish to join the Jewish people. Conversion is a year-long process of study with the Rabbi that includes Shabbat and Holiday service attendance, and culminates in the immersion in the mikvah, the ritual bath. Please contact Rabbi Eisenkramer to learn more about conversion.