In Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Cantor Matt Axelrod provides a practical, humorous guide for Jewish students and their families as they prepare for their "big day." Breezy and friendly yet reassuring and focused, Axelrod easily cuts through the fear and stress that teens often feel in the months leading up to their bar or bat mitzvah. In addition to helping the student prepare for the bar or bat mitzvah by walking the reader through the service and providing helpful study tips for learning a Torah and haftarah portion, Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah also helps both students and their families cope with the stressors associated with the planning of the celebration, addressing everything from teens' fears about making mistakes to time management skills to dealing with family over/underinvolvement. Cantor Axelrod's experience helping hundreds of teens prepare for their bnei mitzvah will help students and families not just survive but understand and enjoy this important Jewish milestone.

By Cantor Matt Axelrod

Introduction
Chapter 1: Why Am I Having a Bar Mitzvah?
Chapter 2: Wait! I Have to Practice?
Chapter 3: The Trouble with Trope
Chapter 4: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Jewish Calendar (and probably a lot more than that!)
Chapter 5: Can We Get Some Service Here Please?
Chapter 6: What if I Make a Mistake?!
Chapter 7: You Need to Attend Services More!
Chapter 8: Revenge of the Bar Mitzvah Kid
Chapter 9: Help! My _______________________* is Driving me Crazy!
Chapter 10: Take Charge!
Chapter 11: But We're Not Religious (and other things that keep you away from temple)
Chapter 12: Make a Connection to Just One Thing
Chapter 13: Now What?
Appendix I: The Ultimate Insider's Quick Hints and Tricks
Glossary
Index
About the Author