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.

Cantor Matt Axelrod (Congregation Beth Israel, Scotch Plains, NJ) has more than 20 years of experience preparing Jewish students for their bnei mitzvah. He is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a past member of the Executive Council of the Cantors Assembly.