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A Push For Less Fanfare, More Meaning At Bar Mitzvahs

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Some 80 percent of Jewish children who complete their Bar or Bat Mitzvah don't continue to practice Judaism, or even go to synagogue, after their ceremony.

Now, some educators in the Jewish "Reform Movement" hope to stop this attrition. The key, they say, is to reduce the fanfare and add more meaning.

New England Public Radio's Susan Kaplan takes us to a temple in Wellesley, Massachusetts, that's one of 13 across the country giving it a try.

Reporter

  • Susan Kaplan, reporter and host of New England Public Radio's local All Things Considered in Amherst, Mass. She tweets @radiosue.

This segment aired on April 29, 2014.

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