In January, I had a dream of recreating my bat mitzvah. Unfortunately for me, that dream quickly became impossible when all gatherings were cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19. Fortunately for me, I have a cat.
Apollo may only be 3 years old, HOWEVER, he has the personality of a 13-year-old. He constantly whines, he throws temper tantrums and storms out of the room, he has a roaring appetite… the list goes on. Essentially, he is a brat — and while I know that not all 13-year-olds are necessarily brats, there’s a stereotype for a reason.
So, to entertain myself during this lonely time, my boyfriend, my roommate, and I decided to throw my cat Apollo a cat mitzvah on April 25. Here’s the highlight reel.
Getting the Dress
Apollo wanted a dress, and the cat mitzvah gets what the cat mitzvah wants. I got my bat mitzvah dress (pictured below) at a cute little shop called All Dressed Up in Rye Brook, New York. Unfortunately, I could not take Apollo there, so we hit a trendy local boutique called Caroline’s Bag of Childhood Clothes She Plans to Donate to Goodwill.
Pre-Bimah Jitters
Ascending the bimah, the raised platform in synagogues from which services are led, can be very scary. Apollo was quite nervous and hid under the couch for five minutes. We tried to convince him to come out (read: reached under the couch and pull him out), but he said he needed a minute (read: clawed at our hands). Eventually, he was ready.
On the bimah
Once up there on the bimah (windowsill) he did his best to chant his Torah portion, Teru-meow. I was happy to help him along, of course, although I did end up doing most of the leg work. I can’t believe I paid a Hebrew tutor for this!
The Party
Apollo and I spent months (maybe 30 minutes) with the party planner (my roommate Emily) figuring out what the theme would be for his party. We settled on “Photoshop” and it really paid off! (Thank you to my friend Kat for her photoshop skills!)
The Hora
Apollo did not enjoy this ritual dance.
The Candle Lighting
Apollo lit a candle for me, his group of friends (the toys below), the plastic bag he likes to play with, and the corner of my bed he scratches at to wake me up in the morning.
Photo Booth
We had a silly time! These are photos we’ll cherish forever!
Postscript
Well, Apollo is a Jewish adult in the eyes of the congregation now. And I expect him to act like one — no more clawing at my bed in the morning, and absolutely no swatting!
He isn’t very enthused about writing thank you notes as he has no ability to hold a pen. And he isn’t that thankful for any of his gifts as he has no concept of money.
But I, his mother, had a great time, and isn’t that really the goal of any bat/bar/cat mitzvah? Meowzel Tov!
All photos by Emily Head.
