http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNjSr1iTIRk

Special Thanks to:

YTS DIGITAL FILMS

Simchat Bat – Celebrating the Birth of a Jewish Baby Girl

There is no arguing that the Jewish baby boy who comes into this world is given a grand and meaningful welcome. The Hebrew word for circumcision is Brit Milah, and it means covenant. The newborn boy is welcomed into the ancient covenant that binds the Jewish people and their Creator. In recent times young Jewish families have expressed a desire to welcome their baby daughters in an equally meaningful way. Although there is no commonly accepted ceremony to answer this need, we do not have to look too far into our Jewish past to uncover beautiful customs and traditions centered around the celebration of the birth of a baby girl.

–Ancient Jewish customs–

According to the Jewish Life Information Center (itim.org.il), in the Middle Ages some Ashkenazi communities performed the ‘Choyl-Kreish’ ceremony. In this ceremony, the women of the community gathered in the baby’s house and candies were distributed to all the young girls, who would dance around the baby’s cradle, calling out ‘what will be the baby’s name?’ In response, the mother would loudly pronounce the baby’s name, and those present would lift the cradle, a symbolic act that validated the declaration.

Certain Sephardic communities, for many generations have been celebrating a Zeved Habat. This is performed in the home, in the presence of both parents and the entire congregation. The baby is publicly named and special verses and liturgical hymns that relate to daughters, gratitude, and blessing are recited. Many Jews of Sephardic origin continue to hold a Zeved HaBat to celebrate the birth of their daughters.

–Giving new meaning to old customs–

Noa Choritz, a nurse and a young mother, was very inspired by a Sephardic Zeved HaBat that she attended. So when her own daughter was born she drew upon much of the traditional Sephardic formula in structuring her own ceremony… “I felt very strongly that I wanted our daughter to be welcomed with the same importance that our son was welcomed, both as a message to our community that daughters are no less important than sons, and as a message to our children that our daughters are just as special to us as our sons.”

Noa and her husband are just one couple among many that have been seeking to provide a meaningful welcoming ceremony for their baby daughters. In recent years, Simchat Bat (joy of girl), Zeved HaBat (gift of girl) and Brit HaBat (girl-covenant) ceremonies have become more popular and widespread. Families wanting to mark the birth of a baby girl will find that there are actually many advantages to the fact that there is no proscribed service! This means that the family can build a ceremony based on their own personal expression and creativity and combine traditional elements which are significant to them.

–The maternal chain of generations–

Shoshana Kordova, a journalist and translator, recalled telling the guests at her Simchat Bat ceremony that “newborn boys are traditionally welcomed into the Jewish community during the Brit Milah, and while it can be argued that girls implicitly become part of the community just by being born, we wanted to adapt the Zeved Habat ceremony to give our daughter an explicit welcome, not just an implicit one.”

Shoshana and her husband Warren chose to read traditional and contemporary Jewish texts reflecting the birth of a daughter and psalms that expressed gratitude and praise to God. It was very important to them to perform the priestly blessing as Warren is of priestly descent (a Cohen) and he performed the blessing himself. They chose to recite the traditional blessings from the Sephardic Zeved HaBat service.

It was important for Shoshana to express the significance of the maternal chain of generations which her baby girl was joining. The baby was brought into the room by her sister, and then handed to Shoshana, who in turn handed the baby to her mother, who held her throughout the ceremony. The women of the family were given the honor of reciting many of the traditional blessings.

–A double Simchat Bat–

Rachel Wachtfogel, a teacher, celebrated a double Simchat Bat for her twin girls at the end of a physically and emotionally difficult pregnancy. “It was very important to my husband and me to express joy, as well as gratitude to God for the miracles that we had been through. Every birth is a miracle, and we had twins after a complicated pregnancy. We really wanted to recognize the miracle together with friends and family.

“We read a psalm which we related to, both because it conveyed gratitude and because it mentioned the names of our two daughters (Hallel and Hodaya). I found this in a compendium of women’s prayers from the 18th Century. This prayer really spoke to me. I modified it and used it. It expressed thanks for what both I and the babies had gone through, as well as prayers for the future. I wanted to thank God for bringing us this far and to express hope that He would be with us for the rest of the way, watch over my babies and help me be a good mother to them.”

–Rejoicing with beautiful customs and a great spread!–

There are numerous beautiful customs and symbolic acts that can be performed to bring meaning to the occasion, ranging from reclaiming the Talmudic custom of planting a tree in the babies honor (the JNF did not come up with that idea), to washing the girls feet (a biblical gesture of welcome), to inviting the immediate family to bless the girl under a prayer shawl canopy (huppa).

No Jewish simcha would be complete without a festive and bounteous array of food! The guests back at Noa’s Zeved HaBat enjoyed the meal, and also expressed their enjoyment of the meaningful occasion… “We received lots of comments from our friends on how they wished they had done something like this for their daughters, or others who had not yet had children thought that they would like to do something like that one day.

“This was another part of our message, that the Zeved Habat ceremony should be reclaimed, by both Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, so that it is not a unique ceremony but as commonplace as a Brit Mila.”

Written by:Tali Tarlow
Jewish Speech Writer
We write speeches for every Jewish occasion including Bar Mitzvah speeches and Bat Mitzvah Speeches (for parents and children), Jewish Wedding speeches (including groom, bride and “best man” speeches), speeches for Brit Milah or Simchat Bat, speeches for Jewish educators, Rabbi’s and community members.
You’ll find many other types of speeches personally written for you at http://www.yourjewishspeech.com
For more information about Simchat Bat/Zeved HaBat ceremonies check out http://www.yourjewishspeech.com/simchat-bat

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tali_K_Tarlow

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3526340

AGOURA

TEMPLE BETH HAVERIM

5126 Clareton St. #140
(818) 991-7111 (C)

CHABAD OF AGOURA
5998 Conifer St.
(818) 991-0991 (O)

ARCADIA

TEMPLE SHAAREI TORAH
550 S. 2nd Ave.
(818) 445-0810 (C)

ARLETA

TEMPLE BETH SOLOMON-DEAF

13580 Osborne St.
(818) 899-2202 (R)

BEVERLY HILLS

BETH JACOB CONGREGATION
9030 W. Olympic Blvd.
(310) 278-1911 (O)

CHABAD OF BEVERLY HILLS
409 Foothill Road
(310) 271-9063 (O)

CONGREGATION MAGEN DAVID OF BEVERLY HILLS
322 N. Foothill Road
(310) 285-9957 (O)

TEMPLE EMANUEL OF BEVERLY HILLS
8844 Burton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310-288-3737 (R)
Contact: Ellis Kirschenbaum

Shalom and Welcome

YOUNG ISRAEL OF BEVERLY HILLS
9350 Civic Center
(310) 276-7650 (O)

BRENTWOOD / BEL AIR

CHABAD OF BEL-AIR

10421 Summer Holly Circle
(310) 475-5311 (O)

LEO BAECK TEMPLE
1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
(310) 476-0426 (R)

STEPHEN S. WISE TEMPLE
15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive
(310) 476-8561 (R)
www.sswt.org

UNIVERSITY SYNAGOGUE
11960 Sunset Blvd.
(310) 472-1255 (R)

BURBANK

BURBANK TEMPLE EMANUEL

1302 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
(818) 843-1734 (C)
Friday Night Services: 7:45PM
Torah Learning every morning: 9:00AM
Saturday Morning Service: 9:30AM
Religious school, ages school age through Bar/Bat Mitzvah. We also have a fully accredited preschool, with extended day care hours. The RS now has a Rabbi/ Cantor as the new director, Rabbi Janet Bieber

TEMPLE BETH EMET OF BURBANK
600 N. Buena Vista St., south of Magnolia
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 843-4787 (R)
Rabbi Mark Sobel, Gary Bachlund – Cantor; Sharon Mack – Cantorial Assistant, Robyn Kreisberg – Musical Director
Shabat Services: Fridays @ 8:00pm. Saturday religious school for ages 5-15.
Ongoing adult evening classes throughout the year.

CALABASAS

THE CLABASAS SHUL

23930 Craftsman Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
(818) 591-SHUL(7485)
Fax: (818) 223-8999(O)

CAMARILLO

JFC-TEMPLE NER AMI
4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D
Camarillo, CA 93012
805-388-3824 (R)
805-383-1011 – Fax
www.uahc.org/congs/ca/ca052

CHEVIOT HILLS

Chabad of Cheviot Hills
3185 Motor Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310-558-8770
www.chabadofcheviothills.com

CULVER CITY

TEMPLE AKIBA (R)

5249 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
310-398-5783
Fax: 310-398-1637
Email: admin@templeakiba.net
Website: www.TempleAkiba.net

DOWNEY

TEMPLE NER TAMID OF DOWNEY
10629 Lakewood Blvd.
Downey, CA. 90241
(562) 861-9276 (R)
Rabbi Haim Beliak, Cantor Kerry Katz, School Administrator Liora Bar. Erev
Shabbat Services every Friday at 8 PM, except for (usually) the third
Friday of the month, which is a Family Service, and begins at 7:30.

ENCINO

CHABAD OF ENCINO

4915 Hayvenhurst Ave.
(818) 784-9986 (O)

TEMPLE NER MAARAV

17730 Magnolia Blvd.
(818) 345-7833 (C)

VALLEY BETH SHALOM

15739 Ventura Blvd.
(818) 788-6000 (C)

FAIRFAX/ LA BREA

AGUDATH ISRAEL OF L.A.

7114 Rosewood Ave.
(323) 935-8383 (O)

AHAVAS YISROEL SYNAGOGUE

731 N. La Brea Ave.
(323) 857-1607 (O)

CHABAD OF HANCOCK PARK
CONGREGATION LEVI YITZCHAK

356 N. La Brea Ave.
(323) 954-8381 (O)

CHABAD MID CITY CENTER
420 N. Fairfax Ave.
(323)655-9282 (O)

CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL

8056 Beverly Blvd.
(323) 651-4022 (T)

CONGREGATION OHEL DAVID

7967 Beverly Blvd.
(323) 651-3594 (O)

OHEV SHALOM

525 S. Fairfax
(323) 653-7190 (O)

CONGREGATION SHAREI TEFILA

7269 Beverly Blvd.
(323) 938-7147 (O)

CONGREGATION TORAH V’CHESED
6407 W. Orange St.
(323) 653-5083 (O)

ETZ JACOB CONGREGATION

7659 Beverly Blvd.
(323) 938-2619 (O)

JEWISH LEARNING EXCHANGE

512 N. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
www.jlela.com
info@jlela.com
(323) 857-0923 (O)

KOLLEL-LOS ANGELES

7466 Beverly Blvd.
(323) 933-7193 (O)

TEMPLE BETH ZION
5555 W. Olympic Blvd.
(323) 933-9136 (C)

TORAH OHR

7200 Beverly Blvd.
(323) 939-6763 (O)
http://www.torahohr.org

YESHIVA OHR ELCHONON-CHABAD

7215 Warning Ave.
(323) 937-3763 (O)

YISMAH MOSHE SEPHARDIC SYNAGOGUE

7675 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048 (O)

YOUNG ISRAEL OF L.A.

660 N. Spaulding
(323) 655-0300 (O)

YOUNG ISRAEL OF HANCOCK PARK
225 S. La Brea Ave.
(323) 931-4030

GARDENA

S.W. TEMPLE BETH TORAH
14725 S. Gramercy
(310) 327-8734 (R)

GLENDALE

TEMPLE SINAI
1212 N. Pacific Ave.
(818) 246-8101 (R)
www.temple-sinai.net
office@temple-sinai.net

GRANADA HILLS

TEMPLE BETH TORAH
16651 Rinaldi St.
(818) 831-0835 (R)

-Return to Menu-

HOLLYWOOD

CHABAD RUSSIAN SYNAGOGUE
7636 Santa Monica Blvd.
(323) 848-2999 (O)

CONGREGATION N’VAY SHALOM
505 S. Beverly Drive #535
(310) 535-1617 (T)

CONGREGATION KOL AMI
1200 North La Brea Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 606-0996 (R)
(323) 606-0997/fax
e-mail: staff@kol-ami.org
http://kol-ami.org

HOLLYWOOD TEMPLE BETH EL
1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd.
(323) 656-6685 (C)

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD
7300 Hollywood Blvd.
(323) 876-8330 (R)

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

IRVINE

BETH JACOB OF IRVINE
3900 Michelson Drive
Irvine CA 92715
714-786-5230 (O)
Shachrit: 6:30AM
Mincha.Maariv: 6:30PM

-Return to Menu-

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

YOUNG ISRAEL OF LAS VEGAS
1724 Winner Cup Drive
Las Vegas Nevada
702-360-8908

-Return to Menu-

LOMITA

CHABAD OF SOUTH BAY
24412 Narbonne Ave.
(310) 326-8234 (O)

-Return to Menu-

LOS ANGELES

MOVABLE MINYAN
A Cooperative Jewish Community
Members lead services and plan activities
8339 W. Third Street
310-285-3317
www.movableminyan.org

WILSHIRE BOULEVARD TEMPLE
3663 Wilshire Blvd.
(323) 388-2401 (R)

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

MALIBU

MALIBU JEWISH CENTER & SYNAGOGUE
24855 Pacific Coast Highway
(310) 456-2178 (R)

-Return to Menu-

MANHATTAN BEACH

CONGREGATION TIKVAT JACOB
1829 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
(310) 546-3667 (C)

-Return to Menu-

MAR VISTA

TEMPLE BETH TORAH
11827 Venice Blvd.
(310) 398-4536 (C)

-Return to Menu-

MONTEBELLO

TEMPLE B’NAI EMET
482 N. Garfield Ave.
(323) 723-2978 (R)

-Return to Menu-

NORTH HOLLYWOOD

ADAT ARI EL
12020 Burbank Blvd.
(818) 766-9426 (C)

AISH HATORAH INSTITUTE
12422 Chandler Blvd.
(818) 980-6934 (O)

EM HABANIM INSTITUTE
5850 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
(818) 762-7779

OR SIMCHA
12430 Oxnard St.
(818) 760-2189 (O)

SHAAREY ZEDEK CONGREGATION
12800 Chandler Blvd.
(818) 763-0560 (O)
Eruv Hotline: (818) 763-4395

TEMPLE BETH HILLEL
12326 Riverside Drive
(818) 763-9148 (R)

OHR HATORAH
4804 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
(818) 769-4512 (R)

-Return to Menu-

NORTHRIDGE

TEMPLE RAMAT ZION
17655 Devonshire St.
(818) 360-1881 (C)

CHABAD OF NORTHRIDGE
17142 Devonshire St.
(818) 368-3937 (O)

YOUNG ISRAEL OF NORTHRIDGE
17511 Devonshire St.
(818) 368-2221 (O)

TEMPLE AHAVAT SHALOM
18200 Rinaldi Place
(818) 360-2258 (R)

-Return to Menu-

PALOS VERDES

CONGREGATION NER TAMID
5721 Crestridge Road
(310) 377-6986 (C)

CHABAD OF PALOS VERDES
28041 S. Hawthorne Blvd. #202
(310) 544-5544 (O)

-Return to Menu-

PASADENA

CHABAD OF PASADENA
1090 East walnut St.
Pasadena, CA. 91106
Tel. 626-564-8820
Fax 626-564-1040
http://chabadpasadena.com
E -mail: chabad@earthlink.net

PASADENA JEWISH TEMPLE
1434 N. Altadena Ave.
(818) 798-1161 (C)

-Return to Menu-

PICO – ROBERTSON

AISH CENTER
9106 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 247-7469 or (310) 278-8672 (O)

ANSHE EMES
1490 S. Robertson Blvd.
(310) 275-5640 (O)
http://www.anshe.org

B’NAI DAVID JUDEA CONGREGATION
8906 Pico Blvd.
(310) 276-9269 (O)

BETH CHAYIM CHADASHIM
6000 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Phone: 323 931 7023
e-mail: bcc25@aol.com
http://uahc.org/congs/ca/ca027

CHABAD HOUSE ISRAEL CENTER
1520 S. Robertson Blvd.
(310) 271-6193 (O)

CONGREGATION LUBAVITCH OF BEVERLY HILLS
9017 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 282-0444 (O)

CONGREGATION MOGEN DAVID
9717 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 556-5609 (T)

OHEL MOSHE
8644 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 652-1533 (O)

THE SHTIBL MINYAN
Shabbat mornings at 9:15 a.m., at
the Workmen’s Circle,
1525 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles.
Dairy potluck kiddush/lunch follows.
For more information email: aryeh@uj.edu
(CHASSIDIC EGALITARIAN)

TEMPLE BETH AM
1039 S. La Cienega Blvd.
(310) 652-7353 (C)
http://www.tbala.org

TORAT HAYIM
1210 S. La Cienega Blvd.
(310) 652-8349

YOUNG ISRAEL OF BEVERLY HILLS
8701 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 275-3020 (O)

YOUNG ISRAEL OF CENTURY CITY
9315 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 273-6954 (O)
http://www.yicc.org

YULA BEIS MIDRASH
9760 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 553-4478 (O)

KNESSETH ISRAEL
2364 S. Robertson Blvd.
(310) 839-4962 (C)

OHR HAEMET AND OHR HAEMET YOUNG SINGLES
1030 S. Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 854-3006 (Orthodox)
Rabbi David Akhamzadeh
Call for Adult class schedule

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY

VALLEY OUTREACH SYNAGOGUE
P.O Box 4717
West Hills, CA 91308-4717
(818) 348-4867 (R)
http://www.vosla.org

-Return to Menu-

SANTA CLARITA

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM
21430 Redview Drive
(805) 254-2411 (C)

-Return to Menu-

SANTA MONICA

CHABAD HOUSE OF SANTA MONICA
1428 17th Street
(310) 829-5620 (O)

KEHILLAT MA’ARAV
1715 21st Street
(310) 829-0566 (C)
http://www.KMwebsite.com

NESSAH ISRAEL
1537 Franklin Ave.
(310) 453-2218 (O)

SANTA MONICA SYNAGOGUE
1448 18th Street
(310) 453-4276 (R)

SHA’AREI AM
1448 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 310 453 4276 (R)
http://members.aol.com/shaareiam

CHABAD OF THE MARINA
114 Washington Blvd.
(310) 578-6000 (O)

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

-Return to Menu-

SHERMAN OAKS

BETH MIDRASH MISHKAN ISRAEL
13312 Burbank Blvd.
(818) 901-1598 (O)

CHABAD OF SHERMAN OAKS
14960 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 789-0850(O)

-Return to Menu-

SIMI VALLEY

CONGREGATION B’NAI EMET
4645 Industrial Ave.
(805) 581-3723 (R)

-Return to Menu-

STUDIO CITY

CONGREGATION BETH MEIER
11725 Moorpark St.
(818) 766-0515 (C)

CONGREGATION BETH OHR
12355 Moorpark St.
(818) 766-3826 (C)

-Return to Menu-

SUN VALLEY

VALLEY BETH ISRAEL
13060 Roscoe Blvd.
(818) 782-2281 (C)

-Return to Menu-

TARZANA

CHABAD OF TARZANA
18181 Burbank Blvd.
(818) 758-1818 (O)

MAKOM OHR SHALOM
5619 Lindley Ave.
(818) 725-7600 (R)

SHUVA ISRAEL CONGREGATION
18527 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91356
Rabbi Rafael Gaye
Daily Netz Minyan and Mincha and Arvit
Shabbat 8:00AM

TEMPLE JUDEA
5429 Lindley Ave.
(818) 987-2616 (R)

-Return to Menu-

TEMPLE CITY

TEMPLE BETH DAVID
9677 Longden Ave.
(626) 287-9994 (R)

-Return to Menu-

THOUSAND OAKS

TEMPLE ETZ CHAIM
1080 E. Janss St.
(805) 497-6891 (C)

-Return to Menu-

VENICE

MISHKON TEFILO
Sanctuary: 206 Main Street, Venice
Office: 201 Hampton Drive, Venice
(310) 392-3029 (C)
email: mail@mishkon.org
http://www.mishkon.org

PACIFIC JEWISH CENTER
505 Ocean Front Walk
(310) 392-8749 (O)
PJCenter.com

TORAH LEARNING CENTER
949 Sunset Ave.
(310) 450-7541 (O)

-Return to Menu-

VENTURA

CHABAD OF VENTURA
1259 Callens St. #A
(805) 658-7441 (O)

TEMPLE BETH TORAH
7620 Foothill Road
(805) 647-4181 (R)

CHABAD OF WESTLAKE
741 Lakefield Road #D
(805) 374-8666 (O)

-Return to Menu-

WEST HILLS

SHOMREI TORAH SYNAGOGUE
7353 Valley Circle Blvd.
(818) 346-0811 (C)

TEMPLE SOLAEL
6601 Valley Circle Blvd.
(818) 348-3885 (R)

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

WEST LOS ANGELES

ADAT SHALOM
3030 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 475-4985 (C)

TEMPLE ISAIAH
10345 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 277-2772 (R)
http://www.templeisaiah.com

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

WESTCHESTER

B’NAI TIKVAH CONGREGATION
5820 W. Manchester Avenue
Westchester, CA 90045
(310) 645-6262 (C)
bnaitikvah@sbcglobal.net
www.bnaitikvahcongregation.org

Need directions? Visit MAPBLAST.COM

WESTWOOD

KAHAL JOSEPH CONGREGATION
10505 Santa Monica Blvd.
(310) 441-4059 (O)

SEPHARDIC TEMPLE TIFERETH ISRAEL
10500 Wilshire Blvd.
(310) 475-7311

SINAI TEMPLE
10400 Wilshire Blvd.
(310) 474-1518 (C)
www.sinaitemple.org

WESTWOOD KEHILLA
10537 Santa Monica Blvd.
(310) 441-5288 (O)
www.kehilla.org

WESTWOOD VILLAGE SYNAGOGUE
824 Hilgard Ave.
(310) 470-0080 (O)

-Return to Menu-

WOODLAND HILLS

BEIT MIDRASH OF WOODLAND HILLS
5850 Fallbrook Ave.
(818) 999-2059 (O)
www.beithamidrash.org

TEMPLE ALIYAH
6025 Valley Circle Blvd.
(818) 346-3545 (C)

KOL TIKVAH
20400 Ventura Blvd.
(818) 348-0670 (R)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *