When a child is born, parents choose a name, which is inscribed on the birth certificate.  A Hebrew name is also given at the brit milah or simchat bat.  (Check with the Rabbi for more information.)

Brit Milah
Circumcision, or brit milah, is performed to symbolize the covenant between God and Israel.  A healthy baby boy is circumcised on the 8th day of life.  The ceremony includes giving the child his Hebrew name.  Tradionally, circumcision is done by a mohel (a person ritually trained to perform circumcisions).  Rabbi Michele Medwin works with a local Jewish physician for brit milah ceremonies.

Simchat Bat
With the birth of a baby girl, a Simchat Bat ceremony is usually held in which the child's hebrew name is given and the child is welcomed into the convenant of the Jewish People.

Our students become Bar/Bat Mitzvah at the age of 13 or in the 7th grade.  Preparation includes learning about Judaism, its traditions, holidays, and history.  Our students lead the Shabbat service and read from the Torah for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah service.  Temple Concord has a Bar/Bat Mitzvah Guide available for parents.  In addition to leading worship services and reading from the Torah, b'nai mitzvah students are required to do a mitzvah project. 

The confirmation year, 10th grade, represents a special time of celebration and commitment.  The year includes study with the rabbi, culminating in a special service, held during Shavuot since that holiday commemorates the receiving of the Torah by the Jewish people.  The confirmation class at Temple Concord is for 10th graders and meets weekly.  It follows two years of study in eighth and ninth grade in the Kollel program.  The curriculum of the class is studying Jewish issues relevant in their own personal lives.

Conversion to Judaism is a path that requires both personal commitment and an extended period of study.

Rabbi David Katz welcomes those who would like to pursue the possibility of becoming a Jew-by-Choice.  The following are part of the process of preparing for conversion: "Introduction to Judaism" course; attending services; involvement in holiday celebrations; and meetings with the rabbi.  She also works with the Outreach Program at temple.  The Outreach Program helps to integrate families with Jewish and non-Jewish members into the synagogue community.  It provides educational opportunities and support programs.  The groups also encompasse the parents of couples in mixed marriages.

The Jewish traditions related to death and mourning are intended to recognize death as a part of life.  The traditions of preparing the body, sitting shiva (a seven-day period of mourning immediately following a funeral), saying Kaddish (prayer for the dead) and observing the yahrzeit (anniversary of a death) guide Jews through a difficult period.  These familiar customs and rituals provide for mourning, grief and re-emphasizing the true nature of life.

After the funeral the family usually sits shiva for three to seven days.  Friends and family come to their home to offer condolences.  The period of sheloshim last for a month.  It is during this time the mourners slowly get back to their routine.  Mourning is restricted to a period of one year.  The Kaddish prayer is said by the mourning for the first 11 months, on the anniversary of the death, and at Yizkor service in the synagogue.  A yahrzeit candle is lit for the seven days of mourning as well as on the anniversary of the death and on the anniversary of the death and on the evenings before we say the Yizkor service.

West Lawn Cemetary Association, incorporated in 1906, owns and operates the West Lawn Cemetary, a not-for-profit Jewish cemetery located on Burbank Avenue in Johnson City, not affiliated with any area congregation.  Plots are available to any member of the local Jewish community. All internments have to be with the assistance of an area congregational Rabbi.  More information may be obtained by calling Jean Hecht at 798-7518 or Jim Herz at 722-2739.

Temple Concord has a Caring Community Committee which tries to attend to the needs of the family.  This Committee also prepares the meal of consolation.