Sunday, July 29, 2007

Welcome to the Jungle

Over on Salon, there's an article about how the quinceanera has become an over-the-top extravaganza which lacks its traditional meaning, and often causes parents to "throw the house out the window." Sound familiar to anyone here?

Let's just say,m the stories that I've heard as a rabbi about parents hiring strippers, having a girl celebrating her bat-mitzvah with a gambling theme and being carried in on the shoulders of two African American men, the Titanic debacle, and so forth, simply makes me wish all those Mexicano parents - good luck, and, be glad you don't have to have one for your sons, too.

And just on that note, I'd like to remind folks that there is a campaign to make bnei mitzvah (as well as other Jewish celebrations) more meaningful and less vulgar, called the ethical smachot campaign.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pray tell, what is this "Titanic debacle" of which you speak?

Was there an actual event on which the fictitious Titanic-themed Bar Mitzvah party in Keeping Up with the Steins was based?

Kol Ra'ash Gadol said...

I'm afriad so. It happened in LA, and the rabbi who taught one of our classes was present. But truthfully, that probably wasn't the worst of the stories out there. Really. There are some exceptinoally tasteless people out there; money does not buy taste.