Jillian McKie's Adult Bat Mitzvah

Read about her experience becoming a Bat Mitzvah

May 6, 2023

My name is Jillian McKie, and I was called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah on May 6, 2023 at Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis. If there’s anything that I’ve learned from having a bat mitzvah at age 20 while I was a full-time student, it’s that only a challenge brings you true satisfaction.

I approached the Hillel staff about having a bat mitzvah. I didn’t have a bat mitzvah at age 13 nor did I ever think that I would embark on this journey of self-discovery when I was applying to college. Hillel seemed like the perfect place to change all that. The staff was incredibly supportive and had all of the knowledge and resources I needed to make the dream a reality. Going into this process, I knew very little, and I could not have done it without Hillel. The staff connected me with the local synagogue in Davis where I had the ceremony.

The strenuous demands of being a full-time student made the process of becoming a bat mitzvah even more difficult. It took a lot of effort to manage everything, but the abundance of encouragement and support from the staff, friends, my family, and many community members active in Hillel kept me motivated until the end.