JamaicaRabbi
Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan Explores Caribbean Wisdom
Life Cycle
Bris / Baby Naming
In Progressive Judaism, it is customary to have a ceremony to welcome a new baby into the covenant. For boys, there is a circumcision ceremony called a Brit Milah, which includes a religious ceremony. The rabbi performs the ritual while a pediatric specialist does the medical procedure. For a girl, there is no medical procedure but there is a Simchat Bat ceremony, the celebration of a birth of a daughter.
Bar / Bat Mitzvah
At age 13, our youth prepare to take on the obligation to be a responsible member of the community. They study Hebrew as well as basic Judaism, and lead services both Friday evening and Saturday morning. It is customary to have a second Bar or Bat MItzvah upon reaching the age of 83!
Weddings
Funerals
Jewish weddings are known throughout the world for being great fun as well as being spiritually meaningful. Everyone has seen in the movies some of the Jewish traditional customs suchas the groom stomping on the glass. Having a Jewish wedding in the Caribbean can combine tradition, spirituality, history and a vacation.
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When we die, Jewish tradition guides us through the process of burial and mourning. We are commanded to comfort the mourners who are grieving. Since the Greek period, more than 2,000 years ago, we believe that the soul is eternal and returns to God, who had given it to us when we were born.