From Turntable To iPad: B’nai Mitzvah Prep Today

The way Jewish teens prepare for their bar or bat mitzvah has changed drastically thanks to technological innovation. Not only has the audio format changed over the years, but so too has the way in which these young men and women are being tutored.

Consider Todd Shotz, founder of Hebrew Helpers, which provides in-home, one-on-one personalized bar and bat mitzvah instruction. Many of his students are matched with local tutors in the Los Angeles area, but he has also found that he can help Jewish teens around the country through Skype and other video conferencing applications. Even local tutors who frequently meet with their students in person are using Skype, Apple’s Facetime or Google’s hangouts to conduct reviews with their students before the big day.