Bar Mitzvahs 'Round the World!

NBC is selling itself on having 24-hour, high-def coverage of the Olympic games in Beijing this summer, not to mention streaming video, but what we really want to know is whether they'll be airing live coverage of Isaac Shapiro's bar mitzvah at the Beijing Chabad House.

Yes, bubbelehs, it's the ultimate destination bar mitzvah!

Isaac and his family will be heading to China during the Olympic games thanks to a suggestion by Isaac's bar mitzvah tutor, who just happens to be a photographer for the games.  And really, isn't this the perfect bar mitzvah plan for the family that doesn't want a "big American bar mitzvah?" Not to mention that with people schlepping in from all over the globe, his bar mitzvah will prove to be a lively, if not worldly, affair.

Isaac's dad has said that he thinks the trip will be good for Isaac, since China is playing such a major part in world politics and the economy, and we think he's on to something. A bar mitzvah trip can be a learning adventure, right? This explains why so many trek to Israel for b'nai mitzvah celebrations, not to mention the Caribbean, which has also become a hot spot for destination b'nai mitzvahs, with St. Thomas Synagogue in the Virgin Islands and a shul on Curacao seeing major spikes in the number of coming-of-age celebrations in recent years.

Start stashing your gelt now so when the celebratory wave of the future rolls around -- surely B'nai Mitzvahs in Space -- we can all afford to be a proud parents!


Are you attending a mitzvah or planning one? Be sure to check out the following at PopJudaica.com: Bar/Bat Mitzvah Favors, Bar Mitzvah Gifts, and Bat Mitzvah Gifts.