Spotlight

MICHAEL KARAS

BAR MITZVAH: NOV. 7, 2020 SYNAGOGUE: TEMPLE ISRAEL NER TAMID CELEBRATION: GRANDPARENTS’ HOUSE, OUTSIDE/ GARAGE FOR SOCIALLY DISTANCED LUNCH WITH FAMILY AND DRIVE BY “MAZEL TOV”

AGE: 13 HOMETOWN: BEACHWOOD SCHOOL: BEACHWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL HOW DID YOU ADAPT YOUR BAR MITZVAH IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC?

Michael: My bar mitzvah plans changed drastically. Originally, I was going to have an awesome ceremony with all my friends and a killer party afterwards. Then, COVID-19 hit. Instead of all the things we had planned, we changed my bar mitzvah date to Nov. 7, 2020, as opposed to May 16, 2020. I had a small celebration, masked, with a few of my closest friends. Even though this wasn’t the ideal bar mitzvah, I am still so thankful that I was able to even have one.

Kori Karas, mother: Michael had a virtual bar mitzvah on May 16, 2020, reading an original portion not out of the Torah, with Rabbi (Matthew Eisenberg) on Zoom and our family. Then Rabbi suggested he learn a new one to chant because my husband taught him how to read trope. For his fi rst (Torah portion), he had a tutor along with my husband. Rabbi suggested he do the Rosh Hashanah portion and then chant it on Rosh Hashanah. Michael did just that with the help of my husband and Rabbi. He learned it in fi ve months, and then chanted it again on his actual bar mitzvah, Nov. 7, 2020.

Michael learned so much through this process. He learned what a bar mitzvah is all about and that it’s about the service, not the party. All he kept saying was how all he wanted to do was read from the Torah, in the temple, with Rabbi Matt and his family.

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE DAY?

Michael: The best part of the day was celebrating becoming a bar mitzvah with my family and close friends, and fi nally being able to have a bar mitzvah at the temple, reading out of the Torah. I also had my dad up on the bimah as gabbai because he taught me my Torah portion.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER YOUNG ADULTS PREPARING FOR THEIR B’NAI MITZVAH?

Michael: For all of the upcoming b’nai mitzvot, I suggest keeping your options open. Be fl exible with what was given to you, even if it’s not exactly ideal. Keep your head up and don’t give up. Yes, learning to chant or read the Torah seems impossibly hard, however, with just enough practice, you can read it in your sleep.

“The best part was watching Michael take pride in becoming a bar mitzvah and truly understand the meaning of becoming a bar mitzvah. We also enjoyed watching him grow and learn, especially because his father, Jonathan Karas, taught him how to chant two Torah portions and the Haftorah.” -Kori Karas, mother