Come as you are

Mazal tov! We are delighted to help celebrate and consecrate the birth of a new child. Ceremonies to welcome a baby into the covenant of Judaism include B’rit Milah (circumcision covenant) for boys and B’rit Bat (daughter covenant) for girls. At these ceremonies, the child receives a Jewish name as a sign of having entered into the covenant of Judaism, and so they are sometimes called “baby namings.” B’rit Milah is typically held at home, officiated by a mohel, whom our rabbi can help find, and our rabbi is happy to participate as well if desired. B’rit Bat, as well as covenant ceremonies for boys who were previously circumcised without Jewish ritual, may be held at the temple during Shabbat services, when our temple family is eager to share in the welcome, or at another location at another time. Please contact our rabbi directly for more information.

(As a Reform congregation, we recognize as Jewish a child who has at least one Jewish parent and who is being raised solely in the Jewish religion. Other denominations of Judaism may only recognize as Jewish a child whose mother was Jewish at the time of the baby’s birth, unless the child is officially converted. If that distinction raises concerns for your family, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with our rabbi about whether an official conversion would be beneficial.)