Life Cycle Events

WEDDINGS
We feel honored to join you under the chupah and help create one of the most meaningful days of your life. Our clergy officiate at wedding services in Temple Beth Emeth's sanctuary as well as at nearby locations. Interfaith officiation is possible for families who intend to have a Jewish home and, if there are children, to raise them as Jews.   

BRIT MILAH/BABY NAMINGS
Our clergy are available to help welcome children into the Covenant of Israel. When available, we co-officiate with a mohel for brit milah (bris) for baby boys. We also officiate solely for the covenant ceremony of a girl, brit bat. Namings can be done on our bimah during Shabbat services or in your home at a mutually agreeable time.

B' MITZVAH
Every Jew reaches the age of Jewish responsibility at their 13th birthday and automatically becomes a B' Mitzvah. We look forward to working with your family as we welcome your child to our bimah. Students enrolled in a Religious School program for at least 2 years, or those members who are attending a Jewish day school, are eligible to celebrate a B' Mitzvah in our community. Every few years we create a class for adults who did not celebrate a B' Mitzvah at 13 and are interested in doing so as an adult. We notify the congregation about adult B'nai Mitzvah classes in our weekly email.

*We have significantly shifting our language here at TBE in our discussion of the lifecycle event most 13-year-olds engage in with us. Our website and other pertinent materials will refer to this event as a B’ (pronounced Be) Mitzvah. This term will serve as our generic and inclusive term for this lifecycle event. As we meet with students and families, we will ask them how they want us to refer to their service. There are many options. Some students and families may wish to use B’ Mitzvah while non-binary students might wish to call it a b’nei mitzvah or b’not mitzvah. Cis-gender students and Trans kids may still wish to use bar or bat mitzvah according to their appropriate pronoun. We are an inclusive and affirming congregation seeking to support our members in exploring their deepest identities. As the values statement our community voted on notes, “We welcome all families and individuals regardless of faith, age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, LGBTQ identity, or socio-economic background.” Making this change to our language is a way we can actively affirm our statement. 

CONVERSION TO JUDAISM
We welcome those who wish to explore our religious tradition and consider embracing Judaism and becoming a part of the Jewish people. Rabbi Whinston works with individual candidates toward conversion to Judaism on an ongoing basis and welcomes new conversion candidates throughout the year.

FUNERALS AND UNVEILINGS
The clergy strives to make themselves available to bereaved families as soon as we hear of a death. Rabbi Whinston will meet with your family in advance of a funeral service and officiate at either the graveside or in our sanctuary.

MINYAN/SHIVA CALLS
Rabbi Whinston, Cantor Hayut, or a layperson will officiate at shiva minyan services in the home of the bereaved for one service or up to the full week of shiva. Temple Beth Emeth provides appropriate prayer books and kippot.

CEMETERIES & LOTS
The Temple maintains separate Jewish burial space at two cemeteries in Ann Arbor: Arborcrest Cemetery & Washtenong Cemetery. Please visit the cemetaries & lots page for more information and current prices at each location. At this time, our separate cremation inurement section is located at Arborcrest only. To arrange a site visit, contact Ken Handwerger, 734-646-5486. 

MEMORIAL WALL
Remembering our loved ones is a core of Jewish practice. At TBE, we have the opportunity to enhance this mitzvah by purchasing a brick in the Memorial wall in our beautiful chapel. As seen above, the wall of memorial bricks is crowned with hardwood shapes depicting a Jerusalem cityscape. Each brick is designed so that the engraved name and a flame can be illuminated from behind. On the yearly yahrzeit observance, as well as on Yom Kippur and other days we say Yizkor prayers, all the plaques are lit. Learn more here.