My Personal Cantor

Wedding Officiant -Debbi Ballard

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Home » Jewish ceremony

Sydney’s Destination Bat Mitzvah in Playa del Carmen Mexico

October 8, 2018 by Debbi Ballard Leave a Comment

Sydney’s Destination Bat Mitzvah at the Beautiful Azul Fives Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

I just returned from Mexico, where I had the opportunity to perform Sydney’s Destination Bat Mitzvah Ceremony at Azul Fives, an all inclusive beach resort in beautiful Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  My friend, Evan Gross, from DestinationMitzvah.com connected me with the family, and put an incredible team together to create a magical weekend of fun and sun, along with the beauty of family and friends celebrating this joyous occasion.

Destination Bat Mitzvah
Destination Mitzvah

If you’re looking for a unique way to celebrate this special event – read on!  I’m excited to share why I LOVE this idea for all lifecycle events!

Destination Bat Mitzvah in Mexico

Combine your family vacation with a Bat Mitzvah celebration and enjoy time with friends and family

I think it’s amazing to celebrate a Bat Mitzvah this way – having several days together with your family to relax, celebrate together, and enjoy vacation time creates memories you would never have if you simply planned a 4 hour blowout party.  When you have a 4 hour event, everything flies by in a flash!  By the time you have your makeup done, photos done, and BAM!  The ceremony and party are nothing but a whirlwind – and your memories are fuzzy and faded.  But, when you have time to relax, enjoy, and truly celebrate, then your memories are truly ones you will keep forever.

Mariachi Band Sydney's Bat Mitzvah Celebration at Azul Fives in Playa del Carmen Mexico

How you can have your Destination Bat Mitzvah ceremony  anywhere you choose!

I’m a firm believer – that spirituality doesn’t come from the walls in a room – but from the holiness of the hearts of the people joining together.  If we truly believe (and I do!) that God is EVERYWHERE – then God can certainly be present at your Destination Bat Mitzvah ceremony at the beach in Mexico!

Our incredible teammate and highly talented Destination Bat Mitzvah photographer, Aaron Lurie, from VMA Event Studios took some incredible photos of our ceremony on Saturday evening.

Cantor Debbi Ballard at Destination Bat Mitzvah in Playa del Carmen Mexico

 

 

Filed Under: Destination Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Tagged With: bar mitzvah cantor, bar mitzvah rabbi, Bat Mitzvah, Destination Bar Mitzvah, Destination Bat Mitzvah, Jewish ceremony, Lifecycles, Mexico, private Bat Mitzvah, unaffiliated

What’s New at the Zoo? Eli’s Bar Mitzvah!!

December 4, 2017 by Debbi Ballard Leave a Comment

I love working with young people.  Helping to prepare them for their Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah service is one of my greatest joys.  The opportunity to share what I know and teach not only the history of our religion, but also how this history affects them and their families, is special.  Every once in a while I work with someone whose story is so unique that even I am surprised.

Eli and Cantor Debbi Ballard posing by the cutout at Eli's Bar Mitzvah celebration at the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, Florida
Eli and I posing by the cutout of him as a young child — so much fun!

With that as a backdrop, meet Eli.

The Importance of History

Eli’s family history is incredibly interesting.  First, his father Alex is Jewish and from Russia – but he never became a Bar Mitzvah.  Alex’s father, Eli’s grandfather, also never became a Bar Mitzvah.  Seems strange, right?  Well, consider this:  Eli’s great grandfather grew up in Russia; he had to worship secretly.  Because of this, their religion was not openly shared, simply quietly respected.

Eli’s mother is Pam, and she is not Jewish.  In fact, before   she met Alex she had never even met a Jewish person.  Pam, however, was completely supportive of Eli becoming a Bar Mitzvah.  She respected her husband’s heritage and recognized the significance of this day for their entire family; Eli would be the first person in three generations to become a Bar Mitzvah.

The Bar Mitzvah Ceremony

As a Cantor serving the Interfaith and unaffiliated Jewish community in South Florida, I have officiated countless Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies uniting and including people of all faiths.  That said, I do not ever remember developing a ceremony quite like this.  Nobody in Eli’s “congregation” at the Bar Mitzvah knew any Hebrew; not even the most common of prayers.  It was something I had never experienced.  Even when working with interfaith families there are usually a few people familiar with the service in attendance.

While familiarity with the ceremony may not have been present; something so much more important was:  a level of interest, respect and love that was so strong it was almost tangible.  Eli’s family, who were unfamiliar with this process, were so supportive.  And so the service began….

It was in English, almost all in English, and different than any other service, Eli and I together shared the story of his journey and what becoming a Bar Mitzvah entailed and meant.  It was a celebration of all that Eli had learned and a life lesson to those who were there to share this special day.  I could have incorporated more Hebrew and held a more traditional service; but really, to what end?

The opportunity to share our heritage in a manner that everyone could understand and appreciate was an important one to seize.  A traditional service incorporating a significant amount of Hebrew was expected; but would it be appropriate? Would it be valuable?  Wasn’t it more important for Eli to be able to share all he learned, his religion and traditions, in a manner that could be understood and appreciated by those closest to him?  It was,  and he did.

The Celebration of Eli’s Bar Mitzvah at the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach

While the Bar Mitzvah service may have been unique; the celebration was even more so.  Uncommon, incredibly special and so much fun!  The entire Bar Mitzvah (service and celebration) was held at, now get this, The Palm Beach Zoo, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (http://www.palmbeachzoo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.main).

Palm Beach zoo logo, Eli's Bar Mitzvah celebration with Cantor Debbi BallardFifty  family members  and friends gathered in a private room for the service; and once it was complete there was the most creative celebration:  a zoo scavenger hunt.

In groups, guests traveled through the zoo and collected/identified everything on their scavenger hunt list.  How much fun is that?  Once they completed this challenging and fun task, everyone gathered for a lovely luncheon; featuring the most beautiful Bar Mitzvah cake I have ever seen.  (check out the picture).

Jewish cake with lettering Mazel Tov Eli at Eli's Bar Mitzvah celebration at the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, Florida
Beautiful and delicious!

Pam has a friend,  a very talented pastry artist (as a hobby), and she agreed to create Eli’s cake.  It was a masterpiece complete with a replica of his talis and kippah.  It was so personal, so beautiful,  and obviously made with love.

Every chance I have to work with a young person and ultimately officiate at their Bar or Bat Mitzvah  is a lesson for me.  I always learn  something new.  This time, I learned that a service that to an outsider may have seemed “less Jewish” was actually more. After all, there is no greater mitzvah than sharing and teaching your beliefs with others in a manner that is comfortable easy to understand. Eli learned so much throughout our time together, but truly I think he (and I) learned the most that morning.  It was a day I will always remember and an experience I will treasure for a lifetime.  I am so grateful to have this family in my life.  This experience had a profound effect on me and I know it will influence my work in the future.

Want to create your own Bar Mitzvah “dream come true”?  Contact Cantor Debbi today to see how you can co-create the event of your dreams. I would love to learn about your family and share how I can work with you.

Filed Under: Bar/Bat Mitzvah Adventures Tagged With: Bar Mitzvah, ceremony, Interfaith, Jewish ceremony, south florida

Your Brother is not a Wedding Officiant…Why You Should Always Hire a Professional

April 8, 2017 by Debbi Ballard Leave a Comment

I received an email from someone in Philadelphia this morning who was considering using her brother as a wedding officiant.

“My daughter is getting married on July 22 (her fiancee is not Jewish).  She and her fiancee have asked my brother to marry them.  My brother is going to get certified on line, but we want to be sure the marriage is legal.  Could you recommend a cantor in the Philadelphia area, that would be willing to come to our venue, before the wedding ceremony, to sign the marriage license (and maybe Ketubah) so the marriage would be legal?” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Jewish, Interfaith, LGBTQ Weddings, Weddings Tagged With: Interfaith, Jewish ceremony, Jewish wedding, officiant, ordination, wedding officiant

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717 Shotgun Road,
Sunrise, FL 33326
954-646-1326



~ Officiating Jewish & Interfaith Weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, Funerals, and any other Jewish Lifecycle Services in Florida, USA – Destination Weddings in North America, Mexico, Caribbean & Worldwide ~

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