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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, June 16, 1972
Father and Son Share Bar Mitzva
KANSAS CITY — A first for
Congregation B’nai Jehudah and
indeed probably a first for the
Kansas City Jewish community
occured June 4 when a father and
son jointly became B’nai Mitzva
at the Temple.
Melvin Cohen and his son,
Stuart, led the services at 1 p.m.
that day and read from the Torah
and Haftorah.
Like many other Jewish young
sters, Stuart has been attending
religious school at the temple and,
in preparation for his Bar Mitzva
has had weekly Bar Mitzva les
sons.
But for the father it was a
different story. Never having be
come a Bar Mitzva at 13, it was
necessary for Melvin Cohen to
“cram seven years of learning
into a 6-month crash course.”
Cohen began by studying the
Hebrew alphabet. He made his
own set of flashcards, each con
taining a Hebrew letter, and
carried them with him every
where he went. “Whenever I had
an extra minute 1 would take
them out and study them—some
times even in the car while wait
ing for a stoplight.”
Soon he knew the entire alpha
bet and was able to read simple
words. Now he knows the
B’rochot for the Torah and Haf
torah and can read from the
prayerbook. “For the first time
in my life, I feel I’m a Jew. I
can say the prayers in Hebrew
at services, I can say the prayer
over bread before a meal, and,”
Cohen continued proudly, “I hope
to be able to lead the Passover
Seder next year.”
The Bar Mitzva father, who
admits he never considered him
self a pious man, says, “This has
become the most important thing
in my whole life. I found
something new that I didn’t know
existed before. It's hard to ex
plain this feeling. Cantor Miller
calls it a gut feeling, and I guess
that’s what it is.”
Cohen expressed gratitude to
the spiritual leaders of the Tem
ple, Kabbi William B. Silverman
and Kabbi Norman Mendel, and
to Cantor Robert Miller for the
time and effort that they spent
on the project. He also proudly
explained that his son had help
ed in teaching him Hebrew.
The local businessman, owner
of the Melco Bureau of Inves
tigation, says he knows there
are other Jewish fathers in the
community who could benefit
from a Bar Mitzva such as he
had. However, these fathers may
not have sons of Bar Mitzva age
with whom they could share
the ceremony. To these men
Cohen would like to say, “You
can do what I have done. You,
too, can study and learn our
language and our wonderful
heritage. Shem zich nisht: Start
today!”
And how does the son feel,
sharing his Bar Mitzva day with
his father?
“I'm really proud that my fa
ther became a Bar Mitzva with
me. I’m happy he was on the
Bimah next to me,” young Stuart
said confidently.
Stuart is the youngest of the
three Cohen children. He has a
20-year-old sister and a 17-year-
old brother. His mother is the
former Miss Iola Palder. The
grandparents are Mr. and Mrs.
Max Palder, and Mr. and Mrs.
William H. Cohen.
"After 46 years,” Melvin Cohen
says in summing it all up, “I
became a man!”
Reprinted from- the
Kansas City Jewish Chronicle
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Mrs. Philip Shafferman, one
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