About Bark Mitzvahs for Dogs

Bark Mitzvah
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The latest craze among American Jews is Bark Mitzvahs for dogs (and Meow Mitzvahs are on the rise).

A search on the Internet turns up photos of Bark Mitzvah (a play on the bar mitzvah) parties in homes, gift packages for Bark Mitzvah dogs from pet stores, and invitations to Bark Mitzvah ceremonies from synagogues. Are Bark Mitzvahs actually a spiritual event in the lives of American Jews today or simply an excuse for a party?

The Celebration

Some people do Bark Mitzvahs for Purim entertainment, some do it to raise money, and others do it simply for the fun of it. Those celebrating Bark Mitzvahs today are mostly Reform and Conservative Jews.

At Home

Bark Mitzvahs celebrated in private homes tend to be personal and fun. Guests, who sometimes bring their own dogs along, greet the hosts with mazal tov and bring doggies presents for the Bark Mitzvah dog. The dog of honor generally feasts on a bone-shaped doggy cake, while the human guests feast on gourmet food.

The Bark Mitzvah party of Kasha can be viewed online.

Alfie's Bark Mitzvah is the focus of Shari Cohen's children's book Alfie's Bark Mitzvah. The CD of children's songs that comes with the book, created by the internationally acclaimed Cantor Marcelo Gindlin, includes a song describing Alfie's Bark Mitzvah.

At the Doggie Salon

Some people have more formal affairs, and new businesses have cropped up to support them.

For $50, Places Everyone offers a seating kit for your Bark Mitzvah celebration, as well as a free Bark Mitzvah certificate for your dog. If you really want to go all out, then you can get the $95 Bark Mitzvah package from CleosBarkery. It includes all-meat canine Bark Mitzvah cake, happy Bark Mitzvah hat, Doggie Treat Bag filled with dreidel and menorah biscuits, Star Bark Mitzvah collar, and a ribbon balloon cake topper.

You can make sure your guests will remember the event by sending them home with a pet candy bar wrapped by wrapsodydesigns.com. The wrapper commemorates the Bark Mitzvah celebration and even provides personal information about the Bark Mitzvah dog.

Some people send their guests home with satin kippot (also called a yarmulke) with the dog’s name and Bark Mitzvah date printed inside.

Yarmulkes just for the guests? Some Bark Mitzvah dogs get all dressed up for the special occasion. There’s been unprecedented demand for doggie-sized tallit and kippot tailored to fit over dog ears.

At Synagogue

Bark Mitzvahs celebrated at synagogues have a bit more of an “official” flavor to them.

Often Bark Mitzvahs performed by rabbis begin with the rabbi reciting a prayer or blessing the dogs. The prayer said when seeing beautiful animals is an ideal opener. The rabbi generally ends the ceremony by awarding a Bark Mitzvah certificate to the dog's owner.

One Reform synagogue, Beth Shir Shalom in Miami, holds Bark Mitzvah celebrations for the congregation members' dogs on Purim. The ceremony takes place in the synagogue parking lot and not in the sanctuary; thus, there is no chance of a dog having an accident in the synagogue. Bark Mitzvah dogs are given certificates, and the dogs’ family members bark and say a prayer.

Temple Kehillat Chaim, a Reform temple in Atlanta, uses the Bark Mitzvah celebration as a way to raise money. The synagogue sponsored a "Bark Mitzvah Day" fundraiser in 2003, in which about 60 dogs competed in a dog-show spin-off, with "Most Jewish" as one of the competition's categories. 

Behind the Celebration
A Spiritual Component
An Offensive Component
A Humorous Component
Whats Next?
Behind the Celebration
A Spiritual Component
An Offensive Component
A Humorous Component
Whats Next?

I wonder whether we should be laughing or crying. Who can help but laugh at the creativity and absurdity of giving a dog a Bark Mitzvah? On the hand, if you think about how Jews throughout history experienced persecutation, exile, torture and death just for the right to wear a tallit, isn't putting a tallit on a dog an act of abasement? Should we just lighten up, have a little fun and laugh, or do we need to be more protective and honorable of our traditions?

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Your Citation
Katz, Lisa. "About Bark Mitzvahs for Dogs." Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/about-bark-mitzvahs-for-dogs-2076058. Katz, Lisa. (2021, December 6). About Bark Mitzvahs for Dogs. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/about-bark-mitzvahs-for-dogs-2076058 Katz, Lisa. "About Bark Mitzvahs for Dogs." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/about-bark-mitzvahs-for-dogs-2076058 (accessed March 29, 2024).