We’re proud of our students, both bar/bat mitzvah students and adult learners!
At his first lesson, A told me he's "not really open to learning Hebrew." At the last lesson before his bar mitzvah, he suggested we continue learning Hebrew together.
How satisfying!
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A. just celebrated his bar mitzvah. His mom wrote to me:
It was great! Asher did a great job and it was really lovely to see so much family together in one place, it's been awhile. Don't have the photos from the photographer yet, but will definitely send some along once they're available. Thank you so much for everything ❤️
Mazal tov Asher!
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Beautiful!
My student L celebrated her bat mitzvah about a half year ago. Her mom just wrote to me that they went to services last shabat, and L "was so engaged with much of the Hebrew -- it was really great."
In addition, mom tells me her children inspired their cousins to have bar/bat mitzvahs.
What a nice chain reaction!
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My student just celebrated his bar mitzvah. Mom wrote to me: "The bar mitzvah was so perfect. Chace was beyond amazing! Thank you for all your help😄"
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After studying with me for a year, starting at age 10, Lehvy is ready to start his bar mitzvah prep. His mother told me how happy she is that he has this good foundation:
" The history and teaching you have done with Lehvy is amazing and it is because of you that he is able to read and make prepare for his bar mitzvah."
I predict great success for Lehvy!
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A proud and happy father just wrote to me after his son's bar mitzvah last Saturday, parshat Vayikra:
He leyned his parasha and haftorah perfectly: he could not have done it without you. I cannot thank you enough for everything that you did for him. Todah Rabbah
Besides, the Torah service, the whole Shabbat morning service was so beautiful from beginning to end. It gave me (and, if I may say so, everyone else attending the service) so much nachas and pride.
Thank you again
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Congratulations on a job perfectly done.
Judah just celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel, at the Western Wall. His parents wrote to me:
"Hi Bettina! It was great, Judah did amazing! We are so happy and proud. Israel was beyond incredible, it was so so special. We thought many times about you and how thankful we are for all your help in preparing Judah."
I know that Judah did very well, reading all of the Torah, and leading prayers.
Mazal tov, Judah!
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מזל טוב!!!
The twin boys I taught just celebrated their bnai mitzvah. Their mom wrote to me:
"The boys BM was absolutely amazing! They did amazing! People couldn’t stop complimenting them!"
I'm so glad! Mazal tov!
Watch for pics to follow.
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When your synagogue sukkah is on a downtown main street, and someone leaves a broken scooter in it...
Chag sameach!
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My student L celebrated her bat mitzvah recently, and her mom wrote to me:
'It was a wonderful experience - L wants to do it again!"
Mazal tov!
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מזל טוב!
My student Andrew just celebrated his adult bar mitzvah at the egalitarian Kotel in Jerusalem. He told me he felt confident going into the service, and I was not surprised. I knew he knew his material really well. Mazal tov!
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Mazal tov!
Great
Mazal tov
מזל טוב. המון אושר. הביקור במקום הוא חוויה רוחנית לכל אחד. גם ללא דתיים.
Mazel Tov
Shalom Shalom
A has been studying Hebrew with me for four years, throughout high school. Now, she goes off to college, where she will continue her Hebrew studies. Her mom wrote to me: "Thank you for everything over the last 4 years. You have made a huge impact in A's life."
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Nice going!
With several students celebrating bnai mitzvah in September and October, slots will be opening up in the jewtor schedule soon. Book your time, before it's all filled up!
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M.'s mother just told me that M. chanted the Torah and haftarah I taught him for his rabbi, in advance of his bar mitzvah. It was the first time mom heard her son do this, and she was moved to tears when she heard how well he did it. I was moved to hear this, too.
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After I successfully taught her older sister, F.'s parents asked me to prepare F. for her bat mitzvah too. The celebration took place last Shabat afternoon, and Dad was very pleased:
"F. performed admirably at her bat mitzvah and I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for our family -- would not have been possible without your patient guiding hand."
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At the beginning of a lesson, an adult student sadly told me of her daughter who is estranged from Judaism. Later in the lesson, I taught her Birkat Hamazon, the Grace after Meals. That same evening, my student wrote to me:
"My husband, daughter, and I sang the first part of the birkat mazon after dinner last night (I told them about our class session and filled my daughter in on my learning). She knew the prayer from day school but hadn’t chanted it for years. She requested candles and four benchers to take home to share with her growing circle of Jewish friends and plans to host Shabbat every Friday!!
I am so loving this renewed circle of learning, l’dor v’dor, and am grateful to you for helping make it happen."
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awesome!!!
Never having had any Jewish education or bar mitzvah, A watched his children celebrate theirs nine years ago. A has now decided he would like to learn more about Judaism, and celebrate his own bar mitzvah. He is booked for an adult bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in the fall. My job is to prepare him. I love life long learners!
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Lucky to have you as his teacher. Isn't this amazing...how tech has allowed you to teach internationally on line. Unforeseeable just a few years ago!
A proud mother just wrote to me:
"I also wanted to thank you again for your guidance with Matthew. He came such a long way in such a short time- all because of you. It was such a proud moment to watch him recite Torah and then get lifted in the chair during the Hora."
What joy! Mazal tov!
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!!!
I taught him. Rabbi Miller did the bar mitzvah.Mazel Tov to Cruz and his family! Cruz did a wonderful job at his bar mitzvah in Scottsdale, Arizona this past Shabbat.
mitzvahrabbi.com
Jewtor
#barmitzvah #mitzvah #barmitzvahs #celebrate #mazeltov #mitzvahrabbi #jewish
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One of my students celebrated his bar mitzvah last Saturday. His dad wrote to me:
"The Bar Mitzvah went great, C. did fantastic, and the Celebration was filled with a lot of love. Thank you so much for teaching C. Hebrew and all of your tutoring of the past year and a half."
Watch for upcoming pictures!
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You prepared him VERY well and it truly was an awesome bar mitzvah! I love working with you Bettina... one of these days we'll have to meet in person!
The mother of a student of 2 1/2 months wrote to me: Madison said she has learned more working with you than she did the whole time she was in Sunday School (3 years I guess).
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100%! I get this all the time. The Hebrew School model is broken. You can't beat 1:1 tutoring. When people argue that 1:1 Hebrew and B/B Mitzvah tutoring doesn't offer the social benefits, I say that's where youth groups and summer camps play a vital role.
Kol HaKavod! Well deserved
When A was prevented last minute from traveling from Scotland to Montreal to celebrate his bar mitzvah, he and his family got creative: They found a local Torah, and joined the Montreal service via zoom! Well done!
Mazal tov!
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One of my students lives in the Northwest Territories in Canada. His family has a unique way of publicising the Chanukah miracle in their front yard. They call it their Ice Chanukiah!
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wow!
Happy eighth night of Hanukkah!
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Oh my goodness that is so beautiful You can just see the illumination of the holy Spirit I need to get me a menara!
World's largest mezuzah? Makes sense at Ben Gurion Airport, as you enter the Jewish home-land.
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Home sweet home
So glad to see pics from my student D.'s bar mitzvah! Dad wrote to me afterwards:
"The Bar Mitzvah went great and D. did really well.
Thank you again for your hard work in preparing D."
Mazal tov!
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Mazal tov to Jesse on his bar mitzvah!
His mom wrote to me:
"He did so great I was so surprised that he read with such ease. Thanks to you!"
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Mazal tov to Matthew on his bar mitzvah!
His mom wrote to me after the happy event:
"Matthew did a really great job. He was so confident during the Torah readings and prayers, spoke very eloquently, and presented himself very well."
Click below for a picture.
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After studying with me for about a year and a half, C was ready to celebrate her bat mitzvah. She read parshat Noach in St Andrew's, Scotland, with family and a pandemic-appropriate number of friends present. I can see how happy she looks! Mazal tov!
I will be starting to tutor her younger sister shortly.
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Mazel Tov
Mazel Tov
After a year of studying with me, Brandon was eminently well prepared for his bar mitzvah.This is how happy he looked when he celebrated yesterday. His father wrote to me:
"It was a wonderful day. Thank you again for everything."
Mazal tov, Brandon! I knew you would shine!
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Nice
Brandon was awesome!
Bra jobbat, Bettina
Mazel tov
B is this great kid I have been working with for a year. He will celebrate his bar mitzvah this week. B is eminently well prepared. His father just wrote to me:
"I wanted to take the time to thank you for all of your hard work in preparing Brandon for his Bar-Mitzvah. He has enjoyed the time he has spent with you."
I wrote back, saying I'd be interested in seeing whatever pics or movies he wants to share from the happy event. I'm excited to hear/see how it went.
Stay tuned for updates from B's bar mitzvah service!
Mazal tov to B!
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I helped L get ready to read Torah at his son's bar mitzvah. L wrote to me after the event:
"I feel very good about my Aliyah. Thank you so much for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you. Looking forward to working with you again for my next son."
I'm glad it went so well, and looking forward to the next bar mitzvah! Mazal Tov!
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Teaching, as I do, to the whole world, affords me some interesting experiences. I enjoy connecting with Jews in remote communities.
S decided to celebrate an adult bat mitzvah. She lives in The Hague, Netherlands, and works from home as a psychologist. I was happy to accommodate her request for a lesson time when she finishes work, around 5 or 6 pm her time, since this is morning time for me. Not a lot of students want morning lessons. I travelled to The Hague to attend her bat mitzvah in the liberal synagogue there, which once belonged to the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community of The Hague. The building is relatively small, but very ornate, and just the kind of jewel one might expect, with gilt edged columns and crown moulding.
That I have to be aware of time differences goes without saying, but sometimes, I have to remember that even the date may be different for my student. C is an American girl living in Nelson, New Zealand, who decided, quite on her own, that she wanted to explore her Judaism, and prepare to become a bat mitzvah. We set Wednesdays at 1 pm my time as our recurring weekly date. This turns out to be Thursday mornings at 8 am for C. She opted to have lessons with me before going to school in the morning! Impressive! We are currently experiencing an extreme heat wave here in Canada, and I get a kick out of looking at C, dressed for school in her uniform sweater. Yes, it’s winter there now. C was telling me that she just had a little vacation from school, because of the Queen’s birthday. Different countries find different reasons to take off from school!
You can imagine that there aren’t very many Jews in Nelson, New Zealand, but Aberdeen, Scotland, has even fewer. That’s why C’s mother, an American Jew, contacted me about bat mitzvah lessons. C’s father is Scottish. There is a small community of about 250 Jews in Aberdeen, and they are mostly incomers, as they say there.
Also in Scotland, lives A, in the university town of St Andrews, (where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met,) where his father is a professor. The whole town basically consists of the university, and there is no synagogue. Matzah for Passover has to be ordered online. It took three months for A to receive the books I had asked him to get on Amazon, and we had to get creative in order to get him ready for his bar mitzvah in Montreal, where the family is from.
L is a grandpa living in Johannesburg, South Africa, who wants to be able to speak conversational Hebrew to his grandchildren in Israel. He goes on a daily walk with his wife in the early evenings in June, when the winter weather is mild, and then comes home to meet with me online for his Hebrew lesson. Hebrew is not his first foreign language. Living in South Africa, he of course had to learn Afrikaans, but he also speaks another language, the name of which I can’t remember, with his black partner at work.
V and M are brother and sister, living in Uppsala, a university town in Sweden, with no Jewish community. The family had planned a bnai mitzvah for them in Italy, and I tutored them. As in so many cases, I became not just their bar mitzvah tutor, but really their complete Jewish education, a one-person religious school. Sadly, their celebration was cancelled as the Covid pandemic shut down Italy.
K is another student whose plans were cut short by the pandemic. A Canadian boy, living temporarily in Stockholm, Sweden, he had converted to Judaism shortly before meeting me. Again, I became his one-person religious school, as we made our way through the Hebrew alphabet, as well as some Bible studies and Jewish holiday learning. K spoke no Swedish, and attended an English speaking school in Stockholm. It was interesting to hear him talk about his experiences, learning Swedish at the local American School. As the pandemic worsened, he returned to Toronto to celebrate his bar mitzvah.
I feel privileged to have a chance to broaden my horizons through interaction with Jews across the world.
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Jewtor teaches students all over the world - Google My Maps
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Jewtor teaches students all over the world3 CommentsComment on Facebook
How wonderful to be able to meet educate and impact all these varied individuals. Also soo wonderful to be able to attend simcha in the Netherlands.
Amazing. Nice.
We should make you a Jewtor map to chart your impact! 🙂
H. converted to Judaism a few years ago, and learned the Hebrew alfabet. With me, he studied really hard to learn seven aliyot (!) to chant at his adult bar mitzvah on zoom. He also led some of the prayers. So proud of my student who worked so hard! Mazal tov!
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You are the best tutor!! And mazal tov to H!
Mazel Tov, a wonderful accomplishment to be proud of!!
Chag Purim sameach!
Read megillah on Zoom, in front of 70 screens.
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You do it so well, with all the emphasis,intonation and passion, as I remember. Unusual but certainly breaths life into the ceremony. Regards.
And here is my student Jacob.
Bar mitzvah in Covid times.
On Zoom.
He read Torah beautifully. So proud of him!
Jacob continues to learn about modern Israel, as well as conversational Hebrew with me.
His little sister is preparing for her bat mitzvah with me, too.
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"You are a real miracle worker," said the father of an upcoming bar mitzvah boy to me. Wow!
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I am tutoring K. in Hebrew, as a complement to her studies with Rosen School of Hebrew. K. sent me a message today:
"I am so glad I have you as a tutor.
I had my 2nd Rosen class this week, and if it weren't for practice with you, I know I would have been lost.
Your tutoring is worth every penny."
Thank you, K!
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Sophie's mother contacted me ten days before the bat mitzvah, in a panic, telling me the cantor was threatening to cut her haftarah, because Sophie didn't know it well enough. We set to work in emergency mode, practising everyday. Sophie's mother wrote to me after the celebration:
"I just wanted to let you know Sophie did an amazing job. She was flawless and confident. We couldn't have done it without your help! Many, many thanks!"
I'm so glad for Sophie! Well done! Mazal tov!
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The father of a bar mitzvah student of mine just sent me these beautiful pictures: "Due to covid, we didn't have any guests come in from out of town. He did great putting on his tallit, tefillin, and making the brachot before and after the Torah reading." Mazal tov! I'm so proud of him!
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מזל טוב שאני שמחה לראות שאנשים מוצאים פתרונות. כל הכבוד
Mazal tov
Positive comments from mothers of bat mitzvah students make me happy:
"F. is not easy to motivate but she never complains about having to do lessons with you, so i know she is enjoying them. Thank you for what you do."
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"She is enjoying your lessons!" says the mother of the non-Jewish 11 year old girl who is studying Hebrew with me.
Good thing to do in quarantine!
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C. is working towards converting to Judaism. She has been taking Hebrew reading lessons with me.
"Bettina is very knowledgeable and patient with her students! She uses a great text that makes it easy to approach the language (that also has some online supplement materials through the publisher that are helpful for own your own practice.) I would definitely recommend Bettina!"
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"Thanks for being such a good teacher," wrote a student who has been with me for 3 years.
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From the mother of siblings I tutored in Sweden: "We are so grateful for all the fantastic lessons, and the children have had such a positive experience with you!"
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I just received a nice comment from the father of a bar mitzvah boy: "We are very thankful for your work in preparing S. to be able to take this next step. He loved working with you and he would not be able to go forward with this without you and your lessons. We appreciate everything you did for us and for
him."
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What with social distancing measures everywhere, I feel very lucky to be able to continue my work exactly as usual. If you're stuck at home, why not sign up for some lessons?
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After celebrating her bat mitzvah, a student sent me this wonderful letter: "שלום Bettina!...Somehow, you managed to make me be completely able to read and... understand Hebrew...For me it is a huge accomplishment to read Hebrew, and now I sometimes do Duolingo to stay good at it. I can't put into words how much you helped me with that because I've been wanting to learn how to read Hebrew for a while now. I also enjoyed learning about the stories on the Torah, which I found very interesting and intriguing. You are an amazing bat mitzvah teacher.... Thank you so much for being a great teacher. " Aren't these kinds of letters what keep us going?
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The very best tutor!!!
This is the first time I'm teaching the younger sister of a student I prepared for her bat mitzvah. It's interesting to learn how siblings are similar but not the same. I'm glad to have repeat customers like this family!
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R recently celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah after several months of weekly lessons with me. Mazal tov! I'm looking forward to working with her younger sister who is already signed up for bat mitzvah lessons with me.
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Mazal tov
I'm so proud of my newest bat mitzvah student from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The family traveled to Calgary, Alberta to celebrate, since Yellowknife doesn't have a Jewish community. Her mom sent me these pictures: "Yes we are still basking in the glow of nachas from the Bat Mitzvah! I’m so proud!! Thank you again for the amazing work you did with T." Mazal tov, T!
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Amazing!! Julia is doing hers in Israel!
A happy father of a bar mitzvah boy: "Thank you very much for working with Paul, he did really well and the Rabbi was happy with your prep work."
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P clearly had a blast at his bar mitzvah recently. I was so glad to hear his father tell me I had prepared P really well. It looks like it was a really beautiful outdoor service. Mazal tov, P!
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Mazal tov
After studying with me for 15 months, R celebrated her bat mitzvah last Saturday. Her mom reported to me:
"She was amazing. The whole thing was perfect. I will send you pics and video as soon as I get them. Thank you so much for all your hard work. She couldn’t have been better prepared."
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"Ima" means "mom" in Hebrew. In Sweden, a mom filmed her kids having a lesson with me. You don't see me, but you hear my voice.
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.2 CommentsComment on Facebook
så kul, אמא! ☺
טוב מאוד
“I have found Bettina to be a patient, gentle and encouraging teacher full of relevant and effective techniques customized for me as a learner. I would highly recommend her to anyone who studies Modern Hebrew at the graduate level.” - rabbinical student
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Så klart!
Right now, I am excited, because this week, parshat Lech lecha, I have not one, but TWO students who will become bat mitzvah! It's such a great parsha, and I can't wait to hear about my students reading it. (Not surprisingly, after spending months teaching this parsha, I felt very comfortable volunteering to read Torah at my own synagogue this week!)
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Mazel Tov!
V. and M. are a 16 year old sister, and 11 year old brother. They live in the medieval university town of Uppsala, Sweden. It has no organized Jewish community. Together, they are studying with me to become b'nai mitzvah. Even though their English is good, they are happy to have found a tutor who can speak to them in their native Swedish. They are learning the Hebrew alef bet, and Torah stories in English. Soon, we will start to study their Torah portion. I couldn't be more thrilled to teach this pair of enthusiastic, lovable kids!