Dear Family & Friends,

We know there are some questions about gift giving for Jules' Bar Mitzvah. Here are some guidelines.

Often a gift of money is given. Charity giving (Tzedakah) has been a part of his life since he started attending Hebrew school and is especially important now. Jules has been volunteering and working with a charity that is important to him.

Our tradition is for Jules to divide up his Bar Mitzvah gifts into portions for charity, savings, and investments.

Jules and his Rabbi will discuss what percentage to donate to the charities close to him. Also, he will learn about saving and investing his money.

The number “18” is significant as far as a gift giving amount for Jewish Culture. So, people usually give money as a bar mitzvah gift in multiples of 18:

http://www.shiva.com/learning-center/commemorate/chai/

Another popular gift idea is:

Donating $18 to plant a tree in Israel to honor a Bar Mitzvah:

http://usa.jnf.org/jnf-tree-planting-center/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Thanks,

Joy and Scott